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The Lure 
of the Land 

A call to Lonq Island 



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5 ST€>RY ^ i?>ie LONG ISLAND I^AILRO AD COMPANY'S 

?EJ5IMfcNTAL^'i4jrfONS NUIVIBEJ^^ pI>JE ANQ# 



'*:i|Dfacf auD plenty" 



The Lure of the Land 



(THIRD EDITION) 



The History of a INIarket-Ciardou ami 

Dairy Plot developed within eight months ui)on Long Island's 

Idle Territory, long designated as "Scrub Oak 

Waste," and "Pine Barrens" 



Being a true story of the work carried on by the Long Island 

Railroad Co. at Experimental Stations Numbers One 

and Two, to which in the Second P^dition was 

added the Aftermath, bringing the story 

from September, Nineteen Five, to 

September, Nineteen Nine 



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By EDITH LORING FULLERTON 

Author of "How to Make a Vegetable Garden ' 
Editor of "The Long Island Agronomist" 



Published l)y 

Long Island Railroad Company 

Long Island, New York 

1911 



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CopyriKliI, ll»(tti-l'JOi>-l!)ii 
I.OIIK Isliinil Itailroail (^inipiiiiy 



Cur 

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Enurnvril iinil I'niilnl liy 

llolirri L. StillsKti Coiiipnny 

Hi-l.iOCi-nlrp Street 

.\i»- Y..rk 



Preface to Second Edition 



THE large first edition of the "Lure of the Land" has 
been exhausted for some time. As requests for the 
book come with nearly every mail, the manage- 
ment of the railroad has decided to issue another edition. 

There have been no changes in the book beyond the 
correction of typographical errors, obscure points made more 
definite, and the addition of one chapter entitled "After- 
math," which tells of the further success of the Long Island 
Railroad Company's Experimental Station No. 1, and a brief 
outline of the development and equally great success of its 
Experimental Station No. 2. 

I wish here to thank the many people from many climes 
who have written me such delightful letters of appreciation, 
and to those whom the "Lure of the Land" really lured to 
Long Island, I wish God Speed. 

Edith Loring FuUerton. 

October 24th, 1909. 

"Prosperity Farm" 

Long Island Railroad Company's 

Experimental Station, No. 2 

Medford, Long Island 

P. S. (A Woman's Acknowledged Privilege). I cannot 
resist adding a word regarding this reprint of the second 
edition which has been made necessary by continued requests. 
The buildings referred to in the final pages are now completed 
and the plans have become a reality. A hearty welcome 
awaits all who care to come and see us. 

Summer, Nineteen Eleven. E. L. F. 




AKiilfii: iU iiitriiKi-ii luMluli-tl riMiU uml liiif!»{iiix miII tn rnniiili 
our liriKlilMin ImrlrrinI iiinriilaliiili 




"Scrub Oak Waste," the raw material, 1905 



Foreword 



WHEN Mr. Ralph Peters became President of the Long Island Railroad, his inspection tours 
of the Island showed him much to be done, and most forcil)ly was brought before him the 
fact that the vast acreage of idle land, especially in Suti'olk County (the easterly half of 
the Island) must be developed for its own sake and for that of its railroad. 

Many thrifty produce farms, dotted here and there in the midst of this wilderness, together with 
the vast quantity and high quality of vegetables and fruit grown in the section, .showed plainly that 
the land now lying idle, much of it untaxetl because it had been burned over so often, could be developed 
into market gardens, fruit orchards, vineyards and dairies. 

As "the proof of the pudding is in the eating," and as practical demonstration is vastly superior 
to written statements, the President determined to establish Experimental Stations at various points 
on the Island and give to the public the results of the work; the object being to prove that the unde- 
veloped territory of Long Island, for years designated as "Scrub Oak Waste" or "Pine Barrens" was 
maligned, and would, when given the opportunity, protluce good crops of high quality. 

The work of this development was given into Mr. Fullerton's hands, and I, being favored beyond 
most women, have been his "full partner" in the inten.sely interesting and valuable work. 

It has included the daily records of not only ordinary farm operations, but details of victory or 
defeat in the fight with injurious insects and di.sea.ses, the quantity of crops gathered, their packing and 
shipping; the growing of all valuable vegetables native to the temperate zone, as well as many from 
China, Japan and the Southern States, never before grown in this latitude; the receiving and entertaining 
of many tlistinguished "Foreign" guests as well as the Island neighbors and workers, investigators and 
experts in the tilling of the soil. 

It includes a daily weather report, made with tested Ciovernment thermometers and rain gauge, 
and conducted under Government regulations; together with the photographic record of every step 
of the work. 

These records have at all times been open to the public and have been inspected by eminent 
agriculturists in both National and State employ, editors of many agrii-ultural periodicals, besides 
laymen in various callings. 



Tlic frcqiHMit criticism of the Farm hns Iwon tliiil ;i iiian of Miiall iiifaris could not m> and do lik«'- 
\*iM-. 'J'lial is an unfair and unjusl <rili(isui. \\r \\n\c acc(»nij)li>lu'd in out- y«'ar what a man iiia.v 
lake M'vcral in tloin^; liu-n- is nothing; from tin- simple livc-roomi-d porlahlc house to the ;j.000 jiallon 
tank tliat a man in moilerate cinumstanies cannot have, and if liis means warrant lie may have nnich 
more than the Kxperimental Station possesses. 

In proving that this land could raise iiHU varieties of plant growth, the income from crops was 
materially cut down hecause this meant small plots of a variety. It has |)aid Long Island in giving it 
an agricultural impetus already heneKeial. It will show a man who is launching in this new Itusiiiess 
just how much produce of each certain type was raised on a given space; it has |)aved the way for him, 
made some of his mistakes for him against which he will guard, and given him the encouragement the 
l>egimier sorely needs, (iiviiig to the i)ul>lic these proofs of the land's fertility in two County Fairs ha- 
materially reduced the Farm's income, for the greater ])art of the force was for three weeks taki-n from 
regular operations that the showing might be as com|tIele and attractive as |)ossil>le. 

It has Ix-en .said, "Oh, of course the Railroad hauls everything free of charge for its own Farm. 
How can you tell what it would cost an outsider.^" The Farm has paid freight and i-xpress on all it- 
products, Itoth to and from the Farm and knows just what it would cost another man to do the .same 
tiling. It has lived the "simple life" as far as was possihie with the educational work it was created to 
accomplish. All supplies were as cheap as true economy would |)irinit. for iintliing is cheap that 
diH's nut we.-ir well. 

In liricf, the l""ariii stamls to-day on its first hirtliday where many men would place it in tei 
years or even a lifetime. 'J'hat others may do likewise, or even exceed the results in the same hriet 
s|)aif of tiiiH-, goes without saying; that is simply a matter of personal equation. 



"I'l'iicf niid I'lfiity" 
l.<>i)K IsIiiikI Kiiilroad Cu.'.h 
K\|M'niiicii(al Slalioa No. 1 
Wiiiiing River, Ix>ng Isliiml 



KDITII LORING FULLERTOX 

SepUiiil.or 7tli, 1!)00 




The "Junior Partner" blowing stumps by battery 



Selection and Clearing 



EARLY in August, 1905, the following message came from Mr. Peters: "Find the worst 10 acres 
on the North Shore upon which to establish Experimental Station No. 1." "Why does he 
want the worst piece?" I at once asked. 
"Because he don't want everyone to say, 'O, well, you have known the Island for years 
and of course you could pick up the very best piece there was anywhere.' " 

"I see — and how are you going to prove to the dear public that it was the worst piece after we 
get through with it?" 

"O, I have a little scheme up my sleeve," replied the Senior Partner, and I was fully satisfied, 
for little schemes up his sleeve always grow larger as they come down and positively burst as they 
drop out. 

We traveled the " Mountain Division," as the North Shore branch is lovingly termed, for many 
days. Our project seemed doomed, for no one would sell a paltry ten acres; talk about hundreds or 
thousands or whole farms and they might listen (but now that i^ all changed). Finally two plots were 
located, one at Rocky Point of the desired area, and one at Wading River of 18 acres. Rocky Point 
had some very fine standing trees, while the Wading River plot was a slice out of the most desolate 
burned over "waste" mind can picture. Scarcely a live standing tree except along the northern 
boundary and the northeast corner, and these were scarred and charred second and third growth oak 
and chestnut. 

Photographs were taken of both plots and submitted to the President. We told him that the 
native Long Islanders assured us that the Wading River plot was the "no goodest" piece of land to 
be found. 

"How much soil will we find?" we had queried, and they replied: 

"Well, if you find six inches you'll be doing well. Besides that it's cold and it's sour." 

On August 19 word came that the Wading River plot had been purchased, and on the 23rd the 
preliminaries had been settled and we could start work at once. 

O, days of our Forefathers! Start work in the wilderness a mile and a half from a drink of water 
and as good as a thousand miles from anything else. But there is no greater joy on earth than rnaking 
something out of nothing and no keener joy to the masculine partner than to be allowed the privilege 
of demonstrating that the so-called "waste lands" of the Island he so dearly loves are productive. 

Next came conferences in regard to clearing. One thing was certain, the money expended was as 
far as possible to be placed in the hands of Long Islanders. Second, the method of clearing must be 
the most rapid possible, for Fall was coming fast and crops must be produced the following Summer. 

It was not our purpose to cut off the trees and brush and allow the stumps to remain six years 
to rot; nor was it our purpose to attempt to raise partial crops in the stump land, tearing the life and 
heart out of man, beast and harness, and profiting but little. 

Thirdly, as the scheme of "ten acres is enough" for a market garden, what should be done with 
the remaining eight? "Make it into an experimental dairy and prove that this land is capable of 
producing forage just as well to-day as it did a hundred years ago." 



Bv lliis tiiiu- Aii^iixt l'"<l |>«'<'"'<l. "»<l «<■ "'•'■<• •^••11 vainly scckinf; lu-lp. riiially on ^^<•|>tl•mlM«^ 1 
>. slartrd out friiiii mir luuiu- loun. Ilimllii^'tini, willi llic rdicinil ai<l uf ihk' colurfd ciiMcliiiiaii. who 
I. . ill)-*! Ilial il «i>iil.l I"- fim to ^o «illi ii> aii.l miiI vnohI In his .•m|)h>>«r that he wuiihl iiol In- home 
iliat ilav. (This w«- h-arii<<l lalrr. fur we would not iiitnilioiially have mlilx-d our n<'i>;hl»ors). W'v 
wrrv ariind with an a\, liu>h scythe, w hrtstonc. suathc and. last liiil not h-asl, tin- lutiiii haskct. \V«* 
rtrrivol at the scrnc of drsolatiou aliout luid-niorninj;. Frank was started to work in tin- northwest 

eorni-r. while we went al>out auionj; tlie >;ood trees, lyiiij,' white ra>;s on tl nes to lie s|)ared the 

wiMMlnian's a\. 

It was evident the house plot must l>e at llie northeast corner, for we hold lirruly to tli«- helief 
that in cieariuf; land some tree-, should l»e left standing' for shadi' ahout the home and that a person 
liuildiii): a house in the liroilin^r. l)akinn sun and then planting,' yuun^; trees around it is short -sijjhted 
indeed and losc^ the liesi part of a lifetime wailing for them to ^,'row■. As a rule the farmer's wife and 
the house taki- tin' dn-^'s of the IhoiiKht and planning; expended, and we made up our minds that the 
feminine portion of this farmer's household should have some shade ami lieauty from the earliest 
days of settlement. 

Mv careful choo>in;; and nuich planninj;. a f,'rov<' of inimulilaleil or only sli>,'hlly l>urn<'d trees 
was left in front of the house site, a few trees indicated the road, and a smaller j,'rove to the south of the 
housi- site >.'ave sli;;ht protection (or should 1 s.iy future promise of protection) from the hot Suuuner 
Sim; it also furnished an excellent place for localinj; the chicken house and .\ard. 

Till- next day we >ucceed<Ml in j;ettinj.' four men. two colored and two white: I'rauk ami lii> fri<-n(l 
Steve, while the others came from lliuiliu^'ton and Wading' Kiver. respectively. Il was an interesliuf; 
day. while two lunch haskcts replaced the one of the day |>rcvious. Was this pioneering;? 

" I'Vank. Hf{ in ln-re wilh that liush scythe ami trim out this |>lol when- the hiius<' is to p>," .saiil 
the S<'nior Partner. 

"Vas, sir," said l-'rank. whose smile I am sure will never come olf as Ion;; as his facial i-lasticity 
remains. 

A few strokes anil tin* exclamation. "(Jolly, dis year swcel fern and liucklelierry am hard <iittin'." 

" Well, supposi- you shari)eu the scythe up an<l .see how she K<"""*- 

".Ml ri^'ht. Moss, speck <lal ni()Uf,'hl l>e a ^ood idea. " 

"Say, then-, (icorp", what are you doinj,' cutlin>; down trees like that; didn'l I tell you not to 
touch anything until I ^ave the word, thai tree was part uf the drive and the only ch<'stnut I hail; 
all ri^'ht " as .i duliious expression cauK' over his face— "you f,'et to work triuuiiin;; up these felle<I 
trees anil cutting' what is jjood into cord wood." 

And then we .sat down toj^ether and we|)t over our lost chestnul. 

"Never mind, .von know a cherry tree would he much hetter than a clic>tuul. " I said. 

"Well, niayhe it would, l)ut I wanted that chestnut." 

" l,ook at Sti've, diM-s he think this is Hroadway, he's wearing j^lovcs and, my uracioiis, patent 
leathers also! (ireat woodmen these. No wonder Westerners call it the etfete Kast." 

" Ves, lint look at the Captain, he can everlastiuf^ly cord wood, and no lost motion." 

'I'he next day there was added to our ";,'anf,'" "Hijah" and "Tootsie" and " Hay me," who was 
familiarl> known as the "I'ahson." while a few more individuals of colorless charai-ler but strong on 
complexion completed the "ganj;." 

Their dinner was a sumptuous meal: colfcc. lioilcil in true woodman fashion, sandwiches galore, 
liananas and cake. 

They decided staying right there and clearing up the whole leu acres was just what they were 
looking for; that coincided with our desires, so they remained. 

We found that as evening a|)proacheil the "call of the curlistone" and street lamp was upon them, 
so they decided to walk to the " I'ort," as Port Jefferson is fondly termed. This they did, covering the 
twelve miles on the railroad tracks in due and ancient form, and the return twelve miles were negotiated 
liy dawn. .Next day work was not so hrisk, hut il was some time before we discovered the reason. 

Hut there was "a grouch on" and complaints started. 

".Mis'r Kullcrlon. we all ain't gittiu' 'nough to eal. Dis year san'wich diet aiiil no food fo' a 
Working man." 

"\Nell. hoys, why don't .von a|i|ioint a cook and catiTor, surely one of you can get u|) a meal. 
^ on have talked enough about being good axmeii, yon ought to know how to live out of doors." 

So the "I'ahson" was made chef. Next day a sumpluuns nu-al was in readiness at nuun, in fact 
a trifle befure, sunp, meat-slew, succotash, pie and cake. The usual result of a hearty midday meal 
was siHtn \ isible. each man wanted to lie down and go to sleep. 

Then and there we held a conference. The Islanders must be replaced by the manual mainsl.iy 
uf civilizaliun; the suns of Sunny Italy nMi-.t be secured. In the mciulimc il was decided tu remuve 
the stumps l.\ dynamite, as trying tu yank them uut by pullers ur by mallock and plow was both slow 
and brutal; as for the ordinary custom of allowing nature to work six yc.irs al the stumps and gradu.tlly 
eliminiile Ihiiu in part by decay was not worthy of consideration. 

Dynamilir Kissam of Huntington was engaged to do the blowing, lie is a man of calm and 
MTi-iie tiiuperamenl, .steady and careful at work, and to be fidly Irusleil. With the appro.ich of his 
• omiiig. the "up sleeve" scheme appeared. The editors of all the big New ^ork and Brooklyn daily 
papers anil inan\ editors of the prominent magazines were to be invited to the sjhiI to see the lirst 
stump Itlown out . 

.\ giMMl dii/iii of them ui.ide the trip un Se|)lcmber (i and Dyu.imilcr Kiss.mi greeled them with 
u Hidnle. Tile first slump was bluwn. shall, red tu bits and the ground pul\cri/cd. leaving a hole thirty 
inches deep and. marveluus tu relate, every bit of il be.iutiful rich brown soil with no sign of sand or 
gravel. The six-inch theory went up with the .stump. 

It was an intereslid and interesting parly of men. Some of them decided lt> travel us far north- 



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The start: assorted native help 




Manual mainstay of ti)-(la\ — the Italian, finished the work 




Dynamiters and well-drillera at lunch 



\v.ird as llicy coultl go, others n-lri'iitod in utter confusion, while some remained the safe 200 feet from 
the explosion. 

Tlie universal ver«iitt, liowcvcr. was that they "would nut unch'rtake the task of making that 
wihlerness into a market >r;inlrii for any nionry." and "wo certainly had picked out the worst piece of 
land ever." They wished us joy of llie experinicnt. 

Hy this time the "gang" of womlmen had increased to eight, and some of their experiences were 
very funny. 

Wlien the charges had l>een placed and the usual warning signal, "fire!" given, both negroes and 
white men woulil fall over themselves to get out of the county; which was decidedly urmecessary, for 
the «-xplo.sions were always ke|>t well away fron> the workmen. 

Shortly afti-r the arrival of the dynamiter came Lorenzo Bal/.arano, a "Corporate" or Ilidian boss, 
to ltH>k over the work to be done and receive instructions, that he might pick men best suited to the 
work in hand, lie was a big fellow with a good face and a "job lot" of lliiglisli in his i)osscssion. lie 
remaincti over niglit, when tiie following interesting incident hai»|)ene(l. It came to us from the Dyna- 
miter. One of the colon-d m<'n being much infatuated with the cornet, and in fact, a village virtuoso, 
had , taken his instrument into th<' wilds and made night hideous wilii his attempts at imitations of 
lA'vy. 

Loren/o, wlio.se name is shortened and .Vmcricanized to "Larry," ask<(i if he might try the bugh-. 
This |)ortended huge fun for the superior .Vmerican, so the instrument was gleefully hamh-d over to 
the man they called the "dago." Larry made some noises even more startling tiian Steve's, and amid 
nuah laugiiter they endeavored to loach him the approved method of blowing. Larry made strenuous 
eirorls and linally, rising to his full height and throwing out his chest, filled the air with the most 
beautiful nmsical calls, ruiming from the thrilling call for a cavalry charge, through all the war horseman's 
life, to the last honors given a fallen hero. Never had they heard a professional cornetist strike every 
note more clearly or with the fervor that oidy the Latin blood possesses. All the American and 
many foreign army calls wore rendered before the men realized that the joke wjis on them. 

"Where did you learn thoin, Larry?" the Dynamiter inquired. 

".Mo in Km|)eror's bodyguard. Me boss bugler," he calmly responded. 

The next day Larry, his ijrother, Antonio Monteforte (a Aa//-brother, evidently), who came in 
the capacity of timokooper, and 18 other Sunny Sons arrived, when the natives were very glad to depart 
to places of bods and indoor meals, sidewalks and continuous half-holidays. 

The (|Ucslion of housing the men w hilc at work was a matter that early came up for consideration. 
A shanty is the usual solution, while tents might be adopted, or the unsanitary "dug out" mar the 
landscape. The former was entirely too ugly to suit our tastes; it also was expensive and useless when 
the men were through with it. Tents wore rather too airy, as we knew the work would continue until 
freezing weather and i)erhai)s well into the winter. We "passed" on the "dug out." The ideal as 
well as the practical was something that would be of use after the work of clearing was completed, 
and for thaC purpose we d«'cidod upon "contlemned" freight cars. They cost but $10, the railroad 
being glad to got rid of them (a later sale by a big trunk line placed the market price at $1.00 each), 
w hile the hauling and placing cost about $lo. For .$5^5 we had a well-built, permanent, and the warmest 
and coolest (because lined with air sj)ace) chicken house one could possibly secure. A second car (for 
two were found necessary when the Italians arrived;, which we planned ultimately to make into a hay- 
loft or feed-bin, was placed to th" north of the location selected for the barn; so that by building a 
small barn directly against the car, the warmest possible place for animals would be secured. 

These cars were purchased and placed as soon as a clearing could be made for them, and the 
Italians were as happy as kings in a palace. 

One day a long, lanky, soody individual arrived and asked for work; cockney English was rampant 
within him and he proved to be an English "Navvy" just come over to join his wife, who had boon 
here some time; ho was cheerfully given work, but we looked for but little from him. Ho |)rovcd 
earnest and eager to learn, Ihoroforc of nmch promise. He started a farmer's boy and had run the 
gamut of "dork," hostler and sohlicr. finishing as 'longshoreman. 

With the a<lvont of Larry and his swarthy followers work began in earnest, for the native helpers 
had merely succeeded in clearing the house plot of trees and taking out dead and crowding underbrush 
in the windbreak which bounded the north and had escaped toUd extinction by lire. 

Beginning at the oast lino and working westward the Italians cleared out every useless tree, cutting 
cord-wood whore any could bo oi)tainod, and burning the branches and charred' trees as they went; 
they also cleared out all uniloritrnsli, and burnt the groun<l over thoroughly. 

The Dynamiter with his hclixr followed tlieru uj). This is l>y far the most exciting and interesting 
part of clearing laml by modern methods. 'J'lie Dynamiter prepared his charges in two ways, one for 
fuse ignition, the other for electric spark. 

The dynamite is put uj) in half-pound sticks, they arc a little larger than an ordinary candle and^ 
are wrapi>od in heavy yellow i)arafIinod paper. One folded end of this paper is opened up and a ho' 
made by a wooden skewer in the dynamite stick, which is plastic and resembles graham bread in col 
and cotlsi.sloney. 

I'or m.i^rnetic battery work a copper cap containing a minute quantity of fulminate of raercur,^ 
and wiiich requires a si)ark to oxj)lode it, is attached to fine electric wires and .sealed by sulphur; thiV 
cap is j»lace<l in the hole in the stick of dynamite and then securely tied by drawing string tightly around 
the paper, which was raised to admit the cap. 

In preparmg a charge for fuse ignition, the cap is crimped <m to the end of a piece of mining fusBI 
and tins i-, ms«rt..l in the dynamite stick and securely fastened as previously dosoribod. ^ 

These prejiarod < hargos arc placed in a basket and carried vorv toinlerly to the stumps which have 
IxH-n prepared by the dynamiter's assistant. All the work is handled very ten.lorly and carefully. 
for while there is no danger of an accident unless lire is placed near the explosive, exlromo caution i- 
UM-d nt all tunes. To hamlle explosives one requires ii nature serene, calm and deliberate, which Mr. 



itnd 
iol4i 

1 




Placing one-half a pound of dynamite 




Once a big stump; now kindling wood 




A little fellow "blown clean" 



Kivwim |>.>ss<»<> li> ;i iii.irkid ilc^'nc. iiikI ikmt in .ill llif >r;ir.s lie lias u><<l tin- il\ iiaiiiilr lias li<- In i oiih- 
IIk- Ifii-t liit iiinlivvs, (ir r«-ji.s»-<l to n-jiani it willi n'spcct. 

'I'lii- lul|MT has inadi- <Ui'|) <>l»li(|iu' liulfs imdcr liu- slump siiifjlcd (uil for cxcciitioii witji a roim<l 
I niwliar or cliivl-ciKlcd picci- of pipo. This is om- i>f Ihi' most important parts of the work. Tho 
liolrs siioiihi Im> as ri<-arly hori/oiital as possililc aixi itircrtly imdcr the stiim|>, that all the explosive 
flint" may Ik- fxprenliil on the wood and eiol on the larlli iMlwccn the dynamilr and llir stiiin|i, for 
earth Hits as a cushion and the natural tendency of d> namite to exi-rt force downward is accent iialed. 

Small stumps up to four feel re(|iiire aliout ' •_> II)., while lar^c ones, say six lo eight feet in dianielcT, 
recpiin" ."{ Il»s. of the explosive, which is placed in several sep.irate holes surrounding the slump. When 
a slump recpiires separate eharnes, in oriler to secure united elforl the electric sp.irk is used, the wires 
altached lo the slicks of dynamite are coiuu'cled, and tiiis circle of wire attached to l)attcr,\ wire ah(»ul 
lilHI feet loiij;. This main wire is stretched to its limit an<l altacheil to the magneto liatti-ry. At the 
wonl "fire," the plunger of the hattery is sent home to the hase, closing tlie circuit and sending the 
spark generali'd to the caps, thus the sevi-ral sticks of dyiiamito are simultaneously exploded. It is a 
grand and wondirful sight, and I douM if many women have had the pleasure .iiid priviligc of sen<ling 
the spark to a slump of live eheslruit w liidi nic.-isurcd 7 ' 2 f<'*'t >>> diameter and in an instant making <if a 
waste place a hit of ground cap.ililc of taking its place in the world's work and read,\ to grow many 
lihides of grass when- none had grown heforc. 

Kourte<'n fuse charges ari- i)laecd under as many stumps; the method of placing, by the way. is 
to lower the charge into the ohliipie hole, press it steadily and firmly with a lilunt ended slick until 
expanded to the full size of the crowhar hole, then fill M|) the hole with earth and tramp it firmly, that 
no explosiv<' gases may find a loophole of escape. Ivicli loaded slump is then marked liy a stick or 
branch. 

Two men light these fuses, which are cut a thirty-second length (about a foot and a h.ilf of fuse 
burns this linn-). .V match is touched to c.icli fus<'. which has been slightly opened at the end that the 
powder ma.\ be exposed and catch fire ipiickl\'. When the fourteen fuses are all lighted the men Uike 
to their heels and flee for their lives. 

riu'v always reach a dislanci' of 100 fci-t and often more, for it is the longest thirty seconds one 
••an conceive. .\t the first uplifting noise and shock they glance backward, ready to dodge any kindling 
wo(m1 coming their way. When they havi- run a safe distance they turn and face the stumps, counting 
carefully each explosion and watching the flying i)icces, that they may not be hit. Dynamiter Kissiim 
lias never had an accident, ;ind 1 trust he never will. 

Then follows a most delightful Fourth of July firecracker exhibition on a large sralo. Roots are 
thrown u|) out of sight and return to earth a hundreil (jr more feet from the place in which they gn-w, 
while the air is filled w ith minuti- fragments of wood antl powdered earth. The record for stump blowing 
is l.Sd in one day. when Si lbs. dynamite was used. Three men can remove thoroughly one to three 
stumps in one day by the use of the mattock, ax anri shovel. 

Hut to return to tin- Farm. Work pushed steadily on and as .soon as a small strij) was blown, the 
Italians came in gathi-ring up all the stumps, roots and fragments, removing any pieces that might l>e 
loosened but not completely torn out and piling them at intervals and immedi.itely burning them. 
'I'his is a pnxess that eaimol take place when stumps arc removed by any other method, for by the dig- 
ging pHK-ess till- earth must be [jicked ami scraped from them and ultimately the stumps chopped or 
.s|)lit in pie<-es befori' tli<-y will burn. 

|{y the method pursued the -tump is burned and the ashes spread upon the groimd in a few hours 
after they are blown out. Hy this process is obtained the finest kind of unleache(i wood a.shes, nature's 
In-st fertilizer, containing vegetable lime to "sweeten" and |)otash and phosphoric acid to furnish 
plant food. 

The two condenmed freight cars had been pl.iccd in position and the Italians made them.selves 
thoroughly at home. In fact, they scemerl suj)remely happy there. Larry and Tony had i)artitioned 
off a portion of I heir c.ir for a be<lrooin, while a "hot stove" was jjlaced in the remaining portion, which 
.vrved as kitchen :ind ilining-room. 

The rest of the men m.ide bunks along the walls and an "eat stove" filled their cup of liap})iness 
to overflowing. We made it a custom to say good morning and good night to every man and to learn 
the name of each ime; they .soon became bright faced, |)olite, i-ager to jilease and extremely faithful. In 
fact, each one came to us asking to go out to work there again in the Sjiring. As the days grew shorli-r 
they jLskeii to Im- allowed to inaki- a full day and get full pay. We were only too glad to have them do 
so, but didn't .s(v exactly how they could manage it. They were up with the first streaks of ihiwn and 
c-ut the dinner time down more jind more, working on until it bec.ime dark. 

Their meals are curious :tnil interesting: .1 ilish of red peppers and a half a loaf of rye bread for 
l»reakfast, half a loaf of dry bread for dinner, and for sujiper a good pan full of macaroni and l>eans and 
lomatiM-s. During all the time they were th<re they .ilc no meat ami were well and happy without it . 
T(my <-iit his foot badly with the ax onc<-. but kept at work just the same. 

While llie work was progressing, much thought had been exjxMided uj)on the soil and its nee<ls. 
There was no top si>il or humus; forest fires had robbed the plot completely of this valuable element. 
Tis wors<- thiin a jiily. 'tis un|)ard(mable negligence on the part of landhohlers to neglect their fire lines. 
In the olden days ditehi-s were dug around .ill boundaries jind were kept free from d<ad leaves and dry 
matter which would larry fire. .Now no one thinks either of ditching or kee|)ing the old ditches clean, 
so that fires sl.irting from a carelessly thrown match and various other causes, sweep from the Sound 
to the Di-.an. many times utterly destroying small farms and threatening villages in their path. 

We were thoroughly convinced that the .soil containc.l all the elements of plant food and that 
It was of exlreim ly good ipi.ilily. Oaks :ind chestnuls will not grow seven feet in diameter unless this 
iM- true; also it retniires good soil to produce a forest with from :tO(l to 700 trees per acre, mme under 
IH inches in diameter. We also kn.w that forest land is always .sour. Tliat is, it has been shaded so 
much, the sweetening powers of sun and air have been denied it. The fact that this pietv had been 



burned over aided a trifle, as the sun could rcaeh the soil somewhat; furtlier, tiie aslies produced from 
the burned stumps would help. Lonj; Island wc^od ashes contain, however, but about .5% lime (the 
Island having no limestone upon it). 'J'herefore, with these facts before us, it was determined to spread 
half a car load (or 10 tons) of old strawy manure to the acre and procure sonu; Canaria wood ashes, 
which contain 40% vep-table lime, for use wlicrc the soil proved loo acid. The inaiuire was ordered, 
five car loads, and delivered on October .'5. 'I'lic Italians proved their inlcrest in the work, anfl their 
willingness and eagerness to help was never better shown than when IS of them unloaded' and cleaned 
two cars (nearly (>0 tons) in ,")!) minutes. The three remaining cars were unloaded by 14 men in 2^ 
hours. It was accomplished this way: 

"Larry," .said the Senior Partner, "tell the men to unload as ((uickly as they can and I will give 
them an American smoke. The railroad men say it will take three hours and I do not wish to delay 
the train <'rew .so long." 

"All right, Bo.ss, we .see," The \\oi-d was [jassed aroimd with llie above result. 

The box of cigars was delivered; then came the morrow. 

"Good morning, Larry, did the boys like the cigars?" 

"Yes, sir, we keep "em, feast day." 

"Hut, Larry, were they really good?" 

"Yes, sir, not so good like Italian cigar, Italian cigar stronger." 

"What do you pay for yours?" 

"I buy fifty cigar, thirty-five cent, him very good." 

"Are they American?" 

"No, Boss, him come from Italy." 

A team of horses with wagon, plow and driver was hired from the neighboring village of Rocky 
Point. First was hauletl to the northern Ixnmdary all cord-wood the Italians had been able to secure 
when clearing the land of standing timber and underbrush preparatory to dynamiting. When this 
was accomplished we posse.s.sed 18 cords of rather small wood; not much for ten acres surely. 

October 4, Mike Cooper (American for Miguel Coperilh)) began spreading manure on acre 1 and 
immediately plowing it in. It was our intention to sow Winter rye on as much of the land as could be 
prepared before cold weather prevented further work, in the hopes of having a few inches of green humus 
to plow under in the Spring. 

By this time such a hue and cry went up about the expense of using dynamite for clearing land 
that we had Larry pick his three best men to take stumps out by hand. We chose average stumps for 
them, and the best they could do was one stump each in from 2i 2 l*» '5' 4 hours and requiring the united 
efforts of all three to roll the root out after it was loosened. They succeeded in getting out only the 
bare stump, leaving all roots, large and small, to check the plow and prevent or seriously hinder culti- 
vation. 

Dynamiter Kissam, with "Dell" Hawkins' assistance, blew regularly from 75 to 110 stumps a day. 
The dynamite splits them so completely that they can be burned at once, and in fact one of the unwritten 
laws was that all stumps blown each day should be burned and the ashes spread before work stopped. 
The stumps taken out by hand required cleaning, splitting and drying before they could be burned; 
an added expense. Thus the comparison figures on 100 stumps: 

DYN,\MITE 

Average 60 lbs. Dynamite at 15c. j)cr lb $9.00 

Labor of Expert and Helper : 5.50 

100 fuses at 45c. per 100 feet 75 

100 caps at 75c. per 100 75 

HAND LABOR $16.00 

100 average stumps requires 3 men 33 days at $1.33 per day $131.67 

Stump pullers were out of the question, there was no standing timber for the block and fall to be 
fastened to, the time necessary to hitch to stumps buried just under the surface, frequently with rotted 
heart, together with the cost of the puller, hire of horses and men, made it way beyond the power of 
competing with dynamite. 

The daily bombardments seemed to interest people in the surrounding country very much. 
When questioned as to what was being done at the Experimental Station they would reply: 

"Aw they're plantin' flynamite and raisin' hell, and that's all they ever will raise." Now that 
the Farm has rai.sed other than that warm locality they say it is "Fullerton luck," but we know better. 

By the 10th of October all the 10 acres had been cleared of underbrush and dynamite work was 
progressing well. Fuses gave out, causing .some delay, as manufacturers are not overly prompt in 
deliveries. Two teams were working upon the cleared section, one plowing, one disc harrowing. Fol- 
lowing this process came spring tooth harrowing, which gathered up the finer roots of sweet fern and 
huckleberry so that they could be piled and burned. 

All this time water had to be carried from the depot, a mile and a half away. Two small Italian 
boys were kept busy all day traveling back and forth. Water must lie had for the Farm, and it w^as our 
desire to experiment in a small way with irrigation. There comes a time every season when the Eastern 
States have a drought of greater or less dm-ation. A market-gardener should not be at the mercy of the 
elements. There is too much at slake. Then, too, all extra choice products should be carefully washed 
before they are packed. As for the actual (piantity of water required by plants for their growth, the 
following instances arc very convincing: 

To produce one ton of dry oats rc(i\iircs .')'2() tons of water; one ton corn, '310 tons %yater; one ton 
red clover, 453 tons water. Iii other words growing plants require 300 to 500 limes their dry weight. 
It certainly seems as though water were more necessary than fertilizer or anything else but sun and air. 

In the middle of October the well was started; it was located on the house plot northwest of the 

15 



I . use site. Tin- lrtv> li-ft vacanl u cinle which was an ailiiiiral>lf scltiii^' for the tank tower ami a pnv 
(.•■ti<in bolli Winter and Sunimer. Much thouK'lit and invcslination wen- cxi^ndcd ii|)on the water 
stipply. Tlie well, of course, was a necessity, hut there was much to l>e con>idtTed in re>:ard to the 
meliuMl of pumpinK- I nder ordinary circuinslances a windmill would do, Ijut a farm should not he 
allowcil to prove a failure for lack of water in a drou^jhty season. During the past Summer, that of 
l!Mt.">. a (inuiKht struck the entire Eastern section of the United States, when vegetation was making a 
strong earlv growth; as a conseciuence many plants remained practically dormant. In case of <lruught 
(and nhnost ev«Ty Spring or Summer hrings one of greater or less duration) water must he on hand, 
and ns a drought is usually aceom|)anicd hy windless weather a windmill could not l)e depended upon. 
.\n engine wju* ohviou.sly necessjiry, hotli gasoline and kerosene engines were closely itivestigated with 
the result that n "Seeo'r" kerosene oil engine was decidid upon. This engine starts immediately by 
lighting a very sm.dl quantity of gasoline hy electric si)ark, which generates sufficient heat to va|)orize 
the k<Tosene when the engine is shifted to llie latter fuel. Some kerosene engines must he started by 
heating an iron hall red-hot hy means of a gasoline torch, before the kerosene is vaporize<l; this requires 
oft«-ntimcs -H) minutes and more. (Jasoline engines are more expensive in operation and more dangerous 
to run; w hile the kerosene engine's first cost is greater it is much cheaper to operate, .\nother advantage 
of the engine over windmill is that it will furnisli power for cutting wood or grinding grain, shredding 
f«Mlder. filling .silos, or lighting the buildings, a i} 2 horsepower engine running -i.) KJ-C.P. lights easily. 

The well-driller was aceompanie<l by a huge colored man whom the Senior Partner immediately 
dubbed "Hig Mice." .'Mas, he could not remain, for there was not a house in the neighborhood where 
one with .\friean blood in his veins could get a bed to .sleep in. He returned home, leaving George, a 
voung Westerner, to do the drilling, with our 'longshoreman as a helper. It was an exciting time when 
the well was started. It would nu-an .so much to have all the water needed and not have to carry it the 
long <listance in .small quantities at high cost. 

Then, of course, it i)ermitted of a little sport, and many bets were made as to the depth we shouhl 
strike water. The site was about 100 feet above the Sound and we deemed that ab<iut thi' depth we 
should have to go. The Senior Partner bet the driller we would strike water nearer 1)0 than 100 feet; 
the bet was for a hat against a pair of gloves, and he was so sure of winning he told me in confidence he 
had decided upon a white "stove pipe" with a deep well band. 

Ah, the tantalizing delays about that well, first the driller ran out of pipe, when more came it was 
the wrong size, an interminable delay, and the next lot was cracked. 

Water was finally reached at 102 feet (the hat remaine<l a dream). A little more drilling to bed 
the well i>oints and strainer revealed the fact that we had struck an infold or overlap of a terminal 
moraine, for the .sand instead of being .sea-wash running into gravel was as fine as emery. It wouhl 
never do to stop there, for the flow would be slow and the sharp stuff would wear the leather cups and 
bra.ss valves out in less than no time. Drilling continued through shallow layers; always water in plenty 
but geological conditions poor. At 149 feet a beautiful How was struck with ideal gravel bottom; we 
had reached that huge subterranean river which lies under Long Island and is a never failing source of 
crystalline water, free from surface drainage, pure and sweet for whomsoever cares to tap it. It rose 
to within 40 feet of the surface and was still rising when the pumps were put on and we had the first 
si[)~ sweet, sparkling, cold (49' F.) — the best drink in the world. Then, to test the supply, an eighteen- 
ineli stroke was pulled and she never "kicked." Now the first turn of the pump throws water into the 
t.ink, .showing that the water star.ds clo.se to the top of the pipe. 

lUit to return to the land. Nature smiled her sweetest upon us up to October 20, when there was a 
il-hour down[)our. 

"Now we're \ip against it, we won't get the rye drilled in for a week or more and that will be too 
late to get a good start this year," said the Senior I'artner. 

"Well, if that Farm is .•inything like our garden you can drill in rye to-morrow," I .said. 

Hand in hand we traveled forth the next day and there were the harrows going merrily over the 
ground, and though the .soil was moist it did not cake u|) a bit. Rye was sown in the afternoon, thus 
completing three out of the ten acres. 

The compari.son of phnving this land with land cleared in the usual way is interesting. To begin 
with, the team and driver cost ^i.UO \h't day, while they always charge $.3.00 per day for tlie land when 
stum[>s arc left in. This land plowed at the rate of \} 2 acres a day while ^4 of an acre is the best they 
can do in stump land. 

On October 2H I had the jileasureof blowing out our "king" stump, a chestnut 73 2 feet in diameter. 

Our neighbors and friends were kind and encouraging, many of them came long distances to 
remonstrate after this fashion: 

"Say. old man (that's not I), we're awful fond of you and you have done a lot for the Islaml. 
We'd hate to .see you ruin yourself. F(»r goodness sake give this thing up before it is too late. You 
know nothing will grow here undiT three to six years. Honest, oltl man. we mean it." 

Then the Senior I'artner would walk around with them a bit and they would say, "What's that 
griN'n over there)'" 

;*Uye." 

".No, go- wan, it can't Im-I" 

"(Jo and look for yourself then," he would answer. They went away n<>l>ler and belter men. 

Others would gather in the village stores and decide that we had "j)izened" the .soil with gases 
from the dynamite, but as the rye grew stronger and greener they .said, " W«ll, anyway, it wouldn't 
live the winter through. " 

.\« the weal lier grew colder the problem of handling the dynamite l)eeame a perplexing one. It 
fr<-<'zes at 41'" and \si- were absolutely determined to get at least 10 acres cleared before snow flew. 

.\ magazine was made of a large dry goods ease and plaeeil in the miildle of a pile of manure, tii 
o|M-ning facing south. The dynamite wjia stored in this, only as nuich as was needed for immedial' 
work being rcmove<l at a time. 

10 




W.-ilor-farriors — aiu'iciit and nniilcrii 





i^^'>^^ 






jOUU iralliin^i (It pure wauT alua. 



"I)vniimili- laiiip" was first ItHaIrd in I lit- In him- plot. I ml as ||ii' work niuviil west ward. ( aiiiji also 
liad I" iimvc. Kiiiiilly ««• loialiil in lli<- w imllmak. |>la<inn lonls of wood to tin- wrst. north and <-ast, 
Iftivin^' till- soiilli opfii. An old sail <lolli was thrown over tin- wiiod-pilc in the davlinic. k<«])inn out 
ihr wimls anti niakinn a warm sunny shfltiTcd spot, lien- the dynamiters prepared their eharncs, 
plating' them when reatly in a small liox. in the lioltoin of which was some hot manure, a <iotli was 
thrown over the top and the lid closed down. I'lnis they were transported safely to the stum|>s already 
prepared for <har^in^. 

The acres wt-re cleared up (|ui<kly and cleanly, tlie stumpaj;e running from '270 up to .'137 on tlu' 
{■if;hth acre, the ninth numliered M.'U, and when they started iilowin^ the tenth we f<-lt our >;oal wa> 
itciiriy rea( lied. 

Dynamiter Kissani and the "Captain," or "Cap," as Dell was more often cylh-d. w<>rk<'d harder 
than «'V<T. They started the aer«' Novend>er i and l)lew 1 10 stumps that day, the next !(7. next H). n«'xt 
(i(>, n«'xl !)!», I>ut apparentl.N they mad<- no impression upon it. We liccame impatient, the I'all was 
slipping' l>y an<l that last acre hun^ fire. 

"Charlie, can't you net .someone <'l.se to lieij) you. wi- must ^;et this ai-rc ;ind as miiih of tjie dairy 
as possilile done this Kail." 

"Why, yes. I nuess Kd. Inderlnll of Syosset will liclj) me." 

"Telegraph him, then, and see if he will come out to-iii;.'ht," .said the Senior Partner. 

'I'he "water hoy" carried the mcssajje to the (lc|)ot and "K<l" appeared on the excninj,' train. 
Myl how thisc three hoys worke<l the next three days, until on the Kith tlicy made a record lilow of 
Kid stumps, hrinfjinjr this acre up to 7!)7 stumps over avcrafje si/e. I hiew l).\ electric spark tlx- last one, 
anil tliis K( acn-s. up to this time a dni^; upon the coinmuuits, look its place in the rank of the witrld'e 
priwhu'ers. 

'I'hree chc-ers arose from us all. c\cn the Italians throwing their hats in the air. and giving vent 
to their feelings. 

lly this lime the plow and harrow were well up to the <lynamiter. so that llic next day saw the 10 
acres .-icedeil down to rye and the telegram that went to llic I'resideiit read like this: 

" Numiicr ( hie's ten acres cleared, plowccl, disc harrowed, cross liariowed with a spring tootli 
harrow atid drilled with rye in ()4|2 working days from the start of clearing." 

.\nd the answer came: 

"Congralulations." 




No. \\ (irst .Mfalf.i Imrv.st 



Itt 



Night work — burning the fine roots 



Winter Work 



DYNAMITING Continued in the dairy section up to the end of November. Three acres were 
completed, but the weather became so cold it was very diflScult to go further. Two acres 
plowed, but no more work could be accomplished here. 
The question of suitable shelter for us and for a man on the place came early into 
consideration. We heard of a five-room portable that had been used two Summers on the South 
Shore Beach, which was for sale. It was in good condition, and authorization was given for its purchase. 

Immediately we made measurements for a cellar under it, for there was urgent need of store room 
for coal in Winter and provisions in Summer. Larry put three men in there, and they seemed to vie 
with each other in quick work; to us the absorbing part was the soil conditions. Of course all the soil 
was carefully placed and saved for future use; it ran just three feet deep when sea-wash sand and gravel 
in brown and white strata appeared. This was also kept separate for mason work, foundations for 
roads, and paths. 

In a day the cellar was dug, ready for the erection of the house. It came like a pack of cards, 
was erected in two days by a carpenter and his helper, and looked most ridiculous with the windows 
curtained before the roof went on. This is the way it was arranged, leaving out a partition at the 
western end and making four rooms instead of five. It was heated by a very small 6-hole "eat stove" 
\o. 7 Paragon, and a No. 10 Redcloud "hot stove" in the office. Into this house we put the English 
'longshoreman, his wife and little girl; they remained all winter, finding the house more comfortable 
than the average modern frame house. 

Early in the life history of the Farm, we roughly sketched the plan of campaign; chicken house 
barn, house, and well were plotted. Next came the orchard, which was to cover an acre of ground 
No farm or country place, no matter how small, is complete without some fruit; it is a permanent 
improvement, to draw more and more interest as time goes by. 

It was our plan to experiment with fruit in this way. Firstly, put in many named varieties of 
many kinds of fruit and find what was best adajjted to the locality; secondly, to procure the stock 
from widely differing sections both north and south of us, to see which change of latitude would show 
the greater advantage. 

Many nights were spent poring over catalogues, and at last the orders were given, each a duplicate 
of the other and an accompanying letter stating the nature of the experiment, that the stock would be 
planted at the same time side by side. One order went to northern New York State, one to southern 
Penn.sylvania. 

Pennsylvania's came first in "coffins," the most ghastly looking packages, arriving the day before 

election day. As Italians would rather make a day's pay than vote, and further had not registered, 

wc started planting on November 7. A privet hedge running along the drive road on the barn side 

i was first planted. It was to be allowed to grow tall and obscure the barn buildings from the house. 

A trench was dug, some old well-rotted manure (of which a car load was purchased as a mulch for the 

' trees and fruit), and wood ashes thoroughly mixed in the bottom, and the bushes firmly set, a foot apart. 



IVvii)ii.s to the arrival t.f tin- mirsory sU*ck, holes hail Ixcii ilnj; lo roct-ive llio lro<-s. Acre i was 
M-lo-l.-il for llu- orihanl; it was the inidillo acre from lu.rlli to .sotilli, on the eastern bonn.lar.v and not 
far from the house nn.l on n slight slope. Apples oeenpied the first row, set i5 feet apart, with a |)eaeh 
iR-twcen each. IVaehes last hut 14 years, and will he out before the apples need the nM)ni. Next 
eanie pears, then eherries. with one neelarine and one apricot for trial, next quinces, then a quantity of 
Japanese plnins, a few German |)runes, and greengages. 
Tlie varieties were lus follows: 

Applrs. Clicrrlts. Qiiiuccs. 

Red Aslraclian. May Duke, Champion, 

U<-d Hiftigluimer. Monlmor<-n<y, Hourgeat, 

Kso|>us Spitzenhurg. Ordinaire. Orapgc. 

Northern Spy. Jupatirsc Phi ins. Pears. 

Raspberries. Ahundanee, I?artli-lt, 

(lohlen Queen, Ihirbank, Wordcii Seekle, 

Champlain. Satsuma, .\njou, 

Wiekson. B. S. Fox. 

Gimseherrles. European Plums. Currants. 

Downing. Grand Duke, Fays Prolifie, 

Industry. Bavays Greengage, AViiitc Currant. 

Monarch. 
Moorepark Aprieot, Nectarine. 

Red. while and blue grapes, Catawba. Niagara, and Concord, Kathburn lilackbcrrics, Palmetto aspara- 
gus. Myalls Linneaus riiubarb and Shari)less strawi)erries from liie home garden. 

The holes were prepared with wood ashes thoroughly mixed at the bottom, the roots carefully 
prune<l, then set in Ihe hole wilii i)lenty of room to spread out, and arranged as nearly as possible as 
they were in their original home. Dirt was shoveled in carefully and slowly, while one man tamjied 
gently with a blunt stick in order that the roots might be thoroughly embedded and no air sjjaces left 
al>out them. 

When the hole was filled, two short stakes were driven beside the tree, one to the east, one to the 
west, a picc«> of old garden hose about four inches long was split and encircled about the tree trunk. 
A soft stout twine tied around liic |)i<(c of hose and extending to each brace and back again, held the 
Irce firm so that no amount of wind could loosen the roots. We had the feeling that this work was too 
important to trust to others, but soon found that Larry, Tony and Dominique were doing as well as 
we could; in fact, many of these men showed real talent for gardening. Tying was work that woman's 
hands could <h), so that was my portion. 

Grapes went in around the chicken yard, currants, gooseberries and blackberries, rhubarb and 
asparagus near them. There are but enough of these ])lants to supply a family's wants. To the north 
of the Orchard and along the eastern boundary, raspl)erries were placed, strawberries next them, leaving 
a strip in a swale between them and the asjjaragus for the raising of late seedlings. 

By the time these were all in it was well into Nnvi-mber, plowing continued in the pasture and the 
Italians mountied earth al)out each orchard tree, making a rain shed and |)revenling sinking about the 
tri-e trvink where ice and snow cotild settle, next they ])iled a manure mulch on this mound, leaving an 
open einle about each trunk that mice and moles might not be harbored and eat the l)ark. Well we 
knew it was late for setting out trees and bushes, but also we knew that the nurserymen take their stock 
from the fields, and "heel" them in where lliey can get at them in the early Spring for shipment. To 
our minds, a tree well jjlanted and carefully protected, mainly against heaving by freeze and thaw, 
.sIo(mJ as good a chance or better than one "heeled in." .\dded to that, when planted the roots Iiad a 
chance to get settled ami gain a foothold, so that when growing season starteil (below ground long 
before above ground) their work went on, gaining just a year in their growth. .\ll the rest of the stock 
was nuilched, while strawberries were covered with strawy compost after a fair freeze. 

The <lrive and paths were made according to our sketch of the early .season. First gravel and sand 
from the cellar was spread and rolled with a kerosene liarrel filled with stone, next a dressing of loam 
and finally cinders were Iai<l; for this rolling, the well-driver's drop weight was i)orrowcd. The road 
provi'd pernianent, useful and sightly, weathering both Winter and Summer well. 

The well being finished llie erection of the tank tower and the jilacing of engine ami i)umj> claimed 
attenlion. Stone for the concrete corner foundations of the tower had to be i)roiight from the beach, 
the entire farm having disclosed four stones, the largest four inches in diameter. .\ large hole was dug. 
filled with i)oulders and cement, a srjuare casing set above and the concrete jioured in. The engine 
base was made the same way and with even more scrupulous car(>, for wt> were j)articularly anxious the 
engine should have a firm foimdalion. All this work was done by the well-driver and John, no experts 
or high-priced men were on the work. The tower went u|) and waited weeks while "tracers" followed 
the bulk from Michigan here. If any manufactunT could delay the work we seemed destined to win 
the delay. Dame Nature was always with us, helping in every conceivable way, but man ^well, man 
ii dead .slow and "l)iles off [in the.se strenuous days] more than he can chew," and often prefers not t. 
keep his w(»rd, while his contract is seldom lived up lo. A carpenter and his boy next held sway, enci" 
iitf{ the lower, and building a h-an-to for the pump head. .\n engine does its best work when some <li- 
Ijince from the pump; well rods need raising for new cups and valves once in a while, therefore the ])ump 
WHS given u je.in-to with trap door in the roof for raising the rods. In the upper part of the main tower 
an <jfric<! was made by laying a floor and erecting the most amazing flight of stairs imaginable. The 
engine wius wt, I he pump head was placed and the car|)enler and I "lined" the pulleys. "Pennsylvania 
miUion.<t" has Im en the <ry. I am sure noni' of them i-ver fotuid their w.-iy to Kx|>erinjenlal Station 
No. 1; even if they had. there are many things millions cannot accomplish. 

At last the tank arrived and was erected; then another delay while "tracers" again hunteil pump 



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OiskiiiK witli ■'<iit-;i-way" harrow 







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pulleys tliat Iiad never eft the factory. IL has become a mercantile custom to saddle delay on lians- 
portation companies. 

One never-to-be-forgotten day the engine started and pumped the 5,000 gallon tank full in six 

hours. Hurrah, no more carting of water, no need of thinking twice before taking a drink or washing 

hands for fear the supply would give out! 

i The irrigation .system had been decided upon. Simple in the extreme, it consisted of a pipe 

running from the tower directly south through the chicken yard to the seed bed. By the chicken house 

j it took a right angle, running west the length of the 18 acres, again north to the northwestern corner, 

where liic dairyman's cottage would ultimately be. A second i)ipe was run a<Toss the front lawn to 

the l)arn. .Ml these pipes were laid three feet deep, tlie work ))cing done by the Senior Partner and tlie 

Italians, with occasional helj) from the well-driller. AI)out every KM) feet of this pipe leiigtli. a slandai-.l 

was inserted with a stop-cock at tlie to]); tliese were for attaching hose, for tlie .systi-m called only for a 

length of ho.se with lawn sprinkler attached. Our idea, proven to our own satisfaction in our own 

garden work, is that [)laiits want their water in nature's way, from above and that it can be applied 

when the sun is sliitiing just as well as not, provided you give them enoiajli, don't just wet the leaves and 

' moisten the ground, soak them, it is the sunshower of summertime. 

> Well into the Winter work continued, the Italians (now cut dcnvn to a much smaller force, of 

course), set fence ])osts about the entire 18 acres, and a division fence line between the market-garden 

and the dairy. This was slow and tedious work, for the ground was pretty well frozen, yet we knew 

that when Spring opened there would be more than all hands could attend to without thinking of 

I fences. 

Nature favored us with an exceptionally open Winter, .so that much more was acco.nplished than 
I was expected. Yet what remained to be done seemed stupendous and we awaited the opening of 
I Spring with bated breath. 

( Winter nights found us poring over catalogues of .seeds and implements, traveling to factories to 

j see these implements made and learning their various features, drawing jjlans for a simple barn that 
I would blend into the freight car without looking freaky, plotting the ten or rather thirteen cleared 

acres, that there might be no hitch either in ordering seed or planting the same, 
j About the middle of January, Teddy, a young Englishman of about 20, appeared, asking for work. 

■ He was an artisan's son and had been working on Long Island for a year or more; we engaged him gladly 
for the Spring. He found work in the village during the W^inter and we were ready for his help March 1 . 
j W'e had also engaged a Huntington boy who had worked for us in our garden, where many strange 

I v'egetables have found a home, to go with his wife to the Farm when Spring opened; Mike Cooper, 
\ who broke up the soil, following the dynamiters closely, begged to become one of our force, and as he 

is a good plowman, farmer, willing and quick, we also engaged him for the Spring. 
I In January a trench four inches deep had been dug along the front fence on the house plot; here 

I we sowed sweet peas, giving them a little old manure and plenty of wood ashes. They were covered 
I to within an inch of the surface, and instructions given to Mack to fill it in before a heavy snow-storm. 
Alas for the sweet peas he filled the trench with true English thoroughness and but few of them ever 
I came through. I think now I prefer Spring planting. Who said, "Sour Grapes." 
j A pile of "blown" stumps with their long slender roots was piled by the drive gate. to serve in 

' the futiu'c as a nasturtium trellis. Several stumps were placed about the trees to serve as seats and 
' flower-stands, and as reminders of the past. 

I One of the most important portions of Winter work is the making of hot-beds for raising .seedlings. 

' The barn was not erected at the Farm, and no spot was quite sheltered enough for beds; besides a 
I 'longshoreman-sailor-soldier Englishman cannot tend hotbeds successfully. 

"What shall we do.''" said the Senior Partner. "We must have tomatoes, early cabbage and 
cauliflower plants. We will have to grow them here under our personal supervision and there is only 
one place to put them that is ideal." 

"I know," I replied, "where I raise my early chicks, the warmest spot in our home acre. .\ll 
right, go ahead, we'll sacrifice even chickens to the success of Number One." 

So John Coddington was at once installed maker and tender of hotbeds for Exi)eriiiiental Station 
No. 1 at Huntington in our own home chicken yard. The space admitted of .seven sash; a thre(>-foot 
hole was dug, the frame set according to regulations and hot manure placed in the l)ott()in. Fine 
sifted loam was placed over this and when the bed had reached the proper temperature radishes were 
.sown, for we intended getting one crop of these before tomatoes, cabbage and cauliflower took all the 
room. There were many bunches pulled in March when radishes were bringing "2.jc. a bunch. 

Tomato seed was sown in February in .seven varieties: early, medium and late; pink, red and yel- 
low. In the little conservatory, our Winter's delight and recreation, my .seed i)oxes were brought forth 
and planted with a.sters, pan.sies, coleus, peppers and canhxm, all destined to beautify the house plot 
iioout the little homestead in the Wilderness. When seeds are sown, Spring begins. 







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Spring-, the Strenuous Season 




PHiNG began with us when the ground, even tliough still hard, 
could be turned over. "Mack," so dubbed to prevent confusion 
with John Coddington, forked the lawn plots about the house — • 
the plow had not done any work here, for the trees interfered. 
It was hard work and slow, but brawny muscle and encouragement 
prevailed. A dressing of well-rotted manure and a sowing of 
ashes had been spread for turning under, for we wished to lay 
special stress ui)on the grass plot. Too many new homes never 
have one, more's the pity. Of course it needed raking after being 
turned over, and as no rakes seemed to grow in scrub oak, the 
Englishman turned Yankee and invented one. He took a board, 
drove nails through it, fastened it to a stick and proceeded to 
rake; Teddy, for a drag and leveler, tied a couple of cedars to a 
board, which answered the purpose admirably. 

Edward Tuddenham, or Ted, started work March 1, giving 
us two men. Much work on buildings was j'ct to be done, while 
two more portables of 3 and 5 rooms each were ordered; one was 
for the helpers, the other for our own use. This necessitated 
moving the seaside cottage already erected on the house plot 
farther west — an added expense, but one that under the circum- 
stances was unavoidable. 

The tower was still incomplete and the barn uncrectcd. 
March 19 brought with it a corps of four carpenters. I 
quote from the Senior Partner's diary to show that things did not 
go merrily all the time: 

"The four carpenters arrived with little to eat, nothing to 
cook with and nowhere to sleep. I took out of the chicken-house- 
car materials stored there waiting the arrival of the portable 
houses, set two men to work erecting bunks and tables, while the 
third returned to the city for food supplies." 

It was necessary to keep the workmen there, for distances 
were so great the best portion of a day was used in traveling 
back and forth. 

Our next few days were spent in getting out orders for vegetable plants (knowing full well we could 
not raise all we should need), and various other "knitting work." Receiving word that the carpenter 
who erected the first portable would be there to erect the others (which, by the way, had arrived), we 
retiu-neil to the Farm. The first thing that greeted us was the barn frame, standing about four feet 
above the car top and big enough for an apartment house. 

"For heaven's sake," exclaimed the Master Mind, "do you think we are going to keep giraffes? 
That thing is big enough for giants. Where's the plan.'' We drew it and sent it in with this roof 
slanting south from the car roof!" 

The drawing was produced, a beautiful blue and white thing by expert draftsmen, but the speci- 
fications attached did not "gibe." 

To say Me "threw fits" draws it mildly. Three men had worked three days with second hand 
extra heavy timber (this is where the Pennsy was saving a few millions) and tliis awful nightmare 
stared us in the face. 

"It hoodoos the whole place," I exclaimed. "We might Just as well not have worked so hard. 
Telephone (oh, yes, we had a telephone, every farmer should, especially if he is far from civilization and 
the base of supplies) to the Engineer's Department and ask them if it can't be altered." 

A heart to heart talk with the foreman revealed the fact that his instructions were to "Do whatever 
Mr. Fullerton wants. If he says to put the roof on the ground and the floor on top, you do it." 
That was sufficient for us, the roof came down in the world and later took its proper place. 
IJut March was slipping away and there were no horses, and plowing must start soon! Would 
that barn crer be built.'' 

The Thanksgiving cottage must be moved; for so the first one erected was nametl, from the fact 
that we took the two children and dinner under our arms and spent the day at the Farm. Dinner 
consisted of cold broiled chicken — the real kind that you raise yourself, not the dormant kind of city 
life — fried sweet potatoes, which I warmed in the little oven (this was before Mack's family had moved 
in) and pumpkin pie. To quote again from the diary: 

"The entire Fullerton family having decided that the small village plot was not sufficient in 
extent to allow their true Thanksgiving proper expansion, arranged to take their dinner in a basket and 
eat what was the first Thanksgiving dinner ever eaten, by a white man at least on Peace and Plenty 
Farm (this is our own pet name for the place). The little portable was warm and the drawing tabic 
supplemented by an extremely low rocker, one extremely high rush-bottomed chair, several dynamite 
boxes and the mattress of a cot bed, made this dinner unique in a great diversity of respects. 



"As an a|)|)»tiz<T. llu- onluird ami urowiiij; rye were foim.l riiiiarkal)l<'. ami llif olil car wliic-h 
liail oiux- s«TVf<l as ii nfripTalor car on llic oncc-faiiiuus Loii^ I>laii«l-|{i»t«iii milk train, now almost 
forfjotlcii, nuvr llic cliililrcn an opjiortnnit y wliicli tiicy have lonpd for, of In-ing 'real railroad men,' 
utilizing' the li>\v platform with its Itrakc as a locomotive of express speed. 

" Hy means of an oliject lesson, consisting,' of |)eanul brittle. fij;s, velvet molasses and a very 
<-«n'fnl and lenj:thy explanation, the Italian k'"'>H were made at last to understiind what the American 
Tlianks^'ivinj; was aixuit, and lin.illy Ity coml>inin>; Spanish with Kiij,'lish, reward was secnrwl and 
some feast day ealh'd ■.Siicet)re' lielil in Italy was discovered, this evidently l)ein>; a day of similar 
meaning; to the Italian race." 

And I mi^jht add that evi-ry man jack of them later passed the door, raised his hat and said, "'I"ank 
y«in, lioss." Hoss to tlu-m is feminine as well as masculin<'. 

Hnt to return to the march of events. 'rhanksj;ivin>; eott.i^'e was moved, a new one ereeleil over 
the »-ellar, and the three-room farther west in the wind-lircak. \\r selected as much tree shelter a.s we 
eonid for ea<h cottage, knowing; the shade would he welcomi- durint; the heat of Summer. 

Shelves were put in for clothes, hooks, etc., whih- kitihen cuphoards. diminutive |)antries and 
tal)le shelves made the kitchen arrangements of two cotlajjcs complete. We were to eat in the office 
fiu\ of Thiinkspvin^; cottage, for six of ns were to sleep in the four-room " Iloinestead." 

Pruning time was here, so we sallied forth to see how our orchard fared. With fear and tremhlinn 
we went <iver it; returned rejoicing; in the fact that not a tree was dead and e\en this early (March H) 
th«"y sh«iwe<l si^;ns of awakening. 

Rain, sleet and snow now prevented outdoor work. tlicr(> was plenty inside, however, and the 
«arpenter"s liainm«r still rang. The last day of March heing clear, we set out some dormant plants 
ahout the house |)lot; roses, ornameiit.'d j;rasscs, iris and su<'h tliiii>;s. 

.\t home till- tomal(K's had grown strong and sturdy; we were gi\ing them all the air possible to 
ki-ep tlu-m stocky, and now they nee<l«'d transi)lanting. Potted plants fruit much earlier than unpottcd 
ones; early fruit hrings the highest |)rice: ergo, t)urs should he potted. John anil 1 set to work, making 
the chieki'us' scratching house our workshoj). A case of paper pots was to our hand; some earth from 
the hotlied antl the seedlings coini>leted the outfit. Jolili tilled the pots, I set the ])lants, a w hoh' day 
and they were not done yet; anotiier half day and wf had the liedVs capacity filled. l.;J(l(l pots returnefl 
to tin- fram«' to await warmer weather for transporting. \\C were rather jjroud of that bunch. For 
sev<Tal days they were kept well watered, shaded and cool, until the line nxtts should have gained a new 
f'Mitliold. Cahliage and cauliflower were thriving, though not to «>ur liking, tomatoes neetl heal, the 
others cold, so the latter were being somewhat coddled. 

.\\>r\\ first atul the barn not yet complete. There was f>nly one thing to do, coax Neighbor Robin- 
.son to rent us his team again until we could g<'t our horses. On the 4nd plow ing started on acres 1 and i. 
The rye was l.> inches high — alas for the |)rophels — and was being turned unrler to do untold good. 
Kine roots of huckleberry and sweet fern still ke|)t coming up and we knew the fight with them was 
destined to l>e a long and hard one. The harrow gathereil them up somewhat, but still they were ob- 
structionists. 

'J"hc annual fonvst fin's started to the west of us; strenuous effort t)n the part of all the force of 
workmen .savt'd that .section of the Island from again burning over; a second fire a few days later with a 
westerly wind met its own defeat against the fence of the cleared land of the Ex|)erimental Station. 

Hy the i-nd of the first week in .\|)ril work was swinging at a rajjid pace, land was being plowed as 
fast as |)o.ssible. the stalile nearly complete, so that on the 7th the two "condemned" exjjress horses 
(eondenmed because their feet were worn out by city pavements and for no other reason) arrived, 
(ireat big l*eautiful fellows, one a gray with a little I'ercheron in him immediately named "Buckeye," 
while the other, a Roman-nosed bu<-kskin, received the name "Texas." in recognition of his ancestry. 

Ilorso and lian<l implements were being assembled, thcsi- consisted of I'lanet Jr. one horse culti- 
vator, lior.s<' leveler, hand drills, hand <'ultivators, a roller an<l a plow. 

Three plum tries were heeled in the Fall and .saved for Spring planting, for comparison with the 
Fall planted slock; these were now set out, two in the chicken yard, one near the little cottage. 

< )n the 1 Ith grass .seed was .sown about the hou.se plot, a mixture of Burpee's " Fordhook I*'amous" 
and his "Shady .Nook." It was brushed in with the cedar trees. To the southwest of the house a small 
plot was sown with I'. S. (ioveriunent grass seed; a row of Haricot Beans, also from the (loverninenf, 
bordered it, so it became known as "(Jovcrnmcnl plot." Some |)lants with lovely co|)per lags beiiring 
enormous numbers were also planted here; they throve well, but things without a name are never as 
sweet to me .'is ones with names, even though long Latin ones. 

A.s the land was finally prepared for seeding, it was done in this manner. Rye turned under with 
the plow, followed by disc harrow, followed by spring tooth harrow, followed by leveler, which, by the 
way, is one of the best and least a|)iireeiated or used of f.iriii ini|)lements. It le\els uncxcii s|)ots, 
breaks cIimIs and pulverizes the soil. 

The "gulic mon" came home and said, "Those cussed wiry huckleberry roots are still so thick. 
I don't see how the hand drills will ever work among them. We simply can't .sj)are lime to rake them 
out by hand." 

"Why don't you borrow a regular horse hay rake, I should think that would clear them uj) a bit." 

*'I..«'vel head," lie exclaimed. We borrowed a rake iind it worked like a charm, two carloads 
111 Ihe acre of those "cnssed roots" came out and were jiromplly burned. 

April H was ushered in with a light white frost, but hand drills st.irted early and by night four 
yarielie.H of radishes, eijvering half an acre, and three varieties of peas h.id been planted, also .Sakura- 
jinin a Japanese radish. The drills worked hard and uneverdy. going into the soil deep, then checking 
agtiinst roots. .\ two-man method was invented, one pulling with a halter, the other pushing. Bui 
the men, John and Ted. soon found they could work them alone. 

In going over the diary for A|»ril, one'.s head fairly spins with the work accomplished. IManls were 
n-.iioved from lluntinKton to the Farm, loinutix-s were phiced in the implement shed until a cold frame 




Arrival at No. 1 of horses "Buckeye" and "Texas' 







The well-drillers' drop-weight served as u road roller 



. ..iiKI Ik- built lo rcifivc thorn. Cuhhufjc ami cauliflower wore sol at once in tin- (idd, Ix-ing cDvcrcd 
AJlli pajur pots for n fow ilays to prfvoiil williiiK'. ami soiiifliiiifs at iiijjiil lo ^juanl anainsl cold. 

l««-ltiu-i-, Ik'c'I.s, oiiioii.s, .s|iimi('li, parsnips, rmlivc, M-or/onrra, ci-U-ry (in tin- .scfd-iu'dj ami forn 
wi'iv tlrillfil in 1>\ the liltlt- I'lancI Jr. Iiaml ilriils, I hose cxipiisilc jilllc tiin<'-.savt'rs. 

As an illn.slratitin of llif work lluy will ilo in this m-w ^'roiiml it ruquircd io minutes to plant S 
rows of parsnips, oiuli row l(((( fret lonj;. 

To plant thri'f rows each of four dilFcrcut varieties of lettuce consume*! 4.> minutes and thi.s of 
course meant cm|)ty and fill the drill for each new variety. 

1^'ttuce plant-s and caltl>a),'c jjlants from a Ilunliti^'ton grower were set out (we wi.sbcd to test trans- 
planted lettuce with that grown in drills and ordy thinned). Chives, shallots, l'(;-tsai. carrots and 
radishes from North China were all sowed. Udo, the Japanese celery, was planted to the east of the 
raspherries. 

On the iilst ull trees and siiruhs were sprayed with "Scalecide," as a preventive against the San 
Jose s<'ale. To do the orchard and herries re<piired 1 hour and l.> minutes and 8 gallons of the mixture 
(1-S gal. scalecide at (idc. per gallon); not a very costly ounce of prevention. 

\ portion of tlu" lawn was sprinkled as a first test of irrigation. On the '2(ith of .\pril the gra.ss 
.se<-d had germinated on this portion only. 

l't)t)itoi's wt-re planted this month — nine varieties as a lest of tiirir carlin<'ss, |)roductivene.ss and 
qualities. 

On the night of the ij'ind the "hustler" came home and c\( l.iiiii<(l: 'A plum is in hloom." 

'" Where.^ In our garden?" 

"Our garden nolliinu. No. 1 of course." 

"Why it caul be, ' 1 e.xclainuil, "you know Ihcy really ought iiol lo be ali\c an<l llic_\ can't bloom 
the first year." 

"1 don't care, it's in bloom and a lot of the others show fruit buds." 

"Whose Irecs.^ New York or I'ennsy?" 

"I'eiuisy. all their trees are way ahead, thc.\ "re alive to the lips and some of them are in leaf, 
while New York's are only in bud with no fruit buds, and many of the branches have died back three 
or four inches," he re])licd. 

"Score I for No. 1," I said, l-'.veryonc said you should move stock south lo have it produce 
earlier, but we knew that I'enusy's slock stood the bctlcr chance, for they showed more careful paiking 
and the trees looketl sturdier and hail great numbers of fibrous roots. Anyhow, no one can say they ditl 
not have a fair show, for they were warned of the contest and came prepared to meet victory, defeat or 
a tie. 

Chill driz/ly weather now prcvenl<'d further planting afield. A cold frame was erected in the lee 
t)f the barn anti tomato |)lants transferred there. They were showing the need of overhead light, 
although still stocky and strong. Rain, however, rushed vegetation along and rhubarb and I'do juiii|)cd 
out of the ground like a "Jack in the Hox." 

The painters were busy on all buildings, while the homestead was being completed an<l furnished 
f<jr our occupancy, for the farm needed us every hour, day and night, this its fiist tender year. The 
call of its tender youth was strong upon me, for I adore babies of every description, but the dear old 
home nnist first be placed in good keeping before 1 could fly. 

The office completed and disk in i)lace, the slenogra|)lier took up her abode at the Farm with 
our English family, helping until 1 came, with the daily recorils of the mullitiide of things accomplished 
each day. 

To tjuole from the diary, .\pril .'50: 

"More lettuce, spinach and .salsify up and aj)parently glad il came. Hrought further live slock 
to the Farm in the shape tjf two selling hens. (This was my .scheme, I wanted young chicks, could not 
.set the hens at home and being afraid the Irij) would 'i)reak lliem up,' I i>ul eacli hen in ;i box with hay 
and three china eggs under her. They traveled the '3'3 miles .selling all the way. I doubt if anything 
could have disturbed them with the eggs under their breasts. Wonderful nature of motherhood!) 

"Set out 880 cauliflower from the hotbed. 

"IJeing unable to secure plumbing experts, made a i)ractical demonstration that an English 
solilier and an American cowboy could cut pipe and afiix fittings willioul stupendous dillicully. and 
further make ab.solul<ly light joints." 

This same "skilletl labor" (.non-union men, however) made for us the "dandiest" little bathroom 
ever a farm beheld. Heside the pump head in the lean-to was a spixw about six feet long and Ihree feel 
wide. This was boarile<l in, accmeiil Moor laid slanting to one corner; |)ii)e run through and l.ii) .itlaehed. 
A liny bathtub was place<l acro.ss the end (»f llie room, a two-hole oil slove back of it and raise.l on boxes 
to the level of the tub. A wash boiler with brass spigot in its side near the bottmn crowned the stove 
and here was the hot water supply. No one could ask for a belter bath, and the cow boy-soldier cond>i- 
natioh inade it all after the strenuous outdoor day work was done. 

Lima beans were jjlanted on the last day of April, although I believe the i)ropcr ol.l-fashionc<l 
lime is the afternoon of the idUlh of .May, or .some sucli jargon. 

We were also utt«Tly disrespeetfnl of the light and dark of th<; moon. .Ml root crops being in 
«>ur forefathers" d.iy planted in the "dark" and i|ll upper crops in the "light." To us. nature's signs 
are the ImsI; when the maj)le is in buil. in leaf and in bloom are sure signs, for she never makes a mistake. 
Her <hats with "(Hd I'rob." are in a betlcr and surer language than ours. 

.\pril gone! with its 8wcct odors nowhere so sweet as on new land surroimded by woods, rajjid 
growth, continuous surprises. The month of tears and sunshin« — and strerni«)us work. 

May day started with the planting of corn antI beans, finishing the last cleared acre of the dairy 
and resowing celery in the seed-bed. This .seed-betl was one of the Farm's semi-failures; we .selecleil 
a plot 14. the .st.uth and lasl of the chicken yard, warm and protected. It was forked over with a giuMlly 
C|iuinlily of manure and raked as line as po.ssible. .S.imehow il baked and celery being .so slow to gerni- 

ti8 



inate (three weeks), the surface could not be broken. It needed old light, friable black soil, such as 
we should have had if forest fires had not robbed us. Too much care cannot be expended on a seed-bed, 
and a seed-bed is one of a farm's most valuable adjuncts. 

Cultivation started on the 4th of May; peas and radishes being far enough advanced to have the 
Planet Jr. hand cultivators run through them. The rows were rough, crooked and irregular, showing 
plainly where the drill, running into a bunch of roots, had choked, and, being released farther on, 
dropped the accumulated seed. Peas did not show this irregularity as much as radishes, but we were 
content when we saw the seed coming along in the bare spaces a little later, for we felt we would have 
a succession just as good as a second planting. Our surmise proved true, for radishes continued maturing 
for one month. 

The 5th was lost in a big sea fog, that great factor in Long Island's agricultural success. They 
steal in during the night at frequent intervals, covering leaves and soil with a soft film of moisture, 
giving a crispness and freshness to foilage which inland plants are denied. It is no wonder cauliflower 
is so happy on the Island. 

On the acres not needed for early planting the rye was allowed to grow as long as possible. It 
ran up to 34! and 39 inches on some acres, with signs of early and full heading, which proved to our entire 
satisfaction that a rye crop on newly developed land would be a paying one. 

On the 7th the diary says: "Set out 100 Long Island Beauty Cauliflower between the rows of 
Extra Early Peas. Asparagus up, potatoes up, red and orange carrots from North China up, artichoke 
and kohl-rabi and nectarine in bloom.'" 

John was working on the Farm by this time, although his wife and family (consisting of one cat 
and a few pet house plants) had not yet arrived. This made three men on the 13 acres, not quite as 
much help as one would expect "Pennsy" millions to employ. 

Canada wood ashes with its 40% vegetable lime had arrived and we sowed them where we felt 
they were most needed; about the house plot principally, for this section had received next to none of 
the native ashes. Acre No. 3 in the dairy also received 200 lbs., for it was newly plowed in the Spring 
and had received no manure whatever. Wc knew the ashes could not make up for the manure humus, 
but we wished to do the best we could for the poor thing. 

"I'm awfully sorry about that acre," the Senior Partner said. 

"But just think what a beautiful test of the soil's capabilities," I replied. "We'll see what she'll 
do unaided and alone." 

About this time Mr. Peters made the Farm a visit. One of his first exclamations was: 

"O, Mr. Fullerton, where are the nasturtiums for these roots? You're late, ours at home have 
broken ground." 

He was led to the cold-frame where mine in pots were making trellises of the tomato plants. 

"All right," he said. "You'll win." 

That night we moved out. The children, the cat, the faithful nurse and I. Our baggage was in 
boxes made to roll under the beds, for the economy of space was to be a large feature. Put four people 
to sleep in a room 12 x 12, two of them active, healthy children, and every inch of room must be utilized 
to the best advantage. These boxes were on ball-bearing casters and had a good handle on the front 
of each, they rolled out easily and held our simple country wardrobes to perfection. 

The next day being balmy, my first task was to set some pet plants of forget-me-nots from the home 
acre in a bed to the east of the house; asters, pansies, coboeas and the nasturtiums were also planted, 
giving us the nucleus of a flower garden. 

Black beetle had attacked the tomatoes in full force; where these and all the rest of the pests 
known to creation came from is a mystery. Everyone said we would at least be free from them, but 
we were forearmed and had a quantity of "killers" on hand. 

A heavy sifting of fine coal ashes saved the tomatoes, but they simply ate every eggplant during 
the night. They are about the meanest, peskiest little creatures alive. 

There was thunder on April 18th, and we decided it was about time for tomatoes to go afield, 
they had long outgrown the cold-frame and the "Earliest Pinks" were in bud. 

Some lettuce, Brussels sprouts and flowering plants came from a big commercial grower in Mary- 
land; they arrived in such bad condition that the sprouts were absolutely worthless, a few lettuce 
were planted on "a chance," but soon gave up the ghost. The flower plants, a few geraniums, holly- 
hocks, perennial phlox and chrysanthemums were packed better and did well din-ing the Summer. 

We were hearing tales of woe from our neighbors about the frost on the 11th. 

"Well, I suppose you lost everything the other night. Neighbor Fullerton?" they wovUd say. 

"Why, no, I can't see that anything is harmed except the tips of the leaves of the corn and the 
Moyashe Udo." 

"Corn! You ain't got corn planted yet, have y'u, why we're just aplowin'?" 

"Yes, I went up on the tank tower yesterday and I see we're just about two weeks ahead of you," 
he said. 

"But didn't you lose your beans?" the neighbors (jueried. 

"Beans, bless your hearts, no, my beans arn't up yet. What are you planting beans for in April? 
Why don't you plant radishes and peas and cabbage and cauliflower and such things, that don't mind 
frost? " 

"Well, we thought we'd beat you tarnal book farmers and have our beans up ahead of your'n, 
but I guess you've got the best of it." And they disappeared utterly disgusted witii our "book 
farmin'." 

"The trees are in leaf, it's time to plant squash and pumpkin and cucumbers." said I. 

So in tliey went, while caladiuni, gladiolus and oxalis were added to the house |)l<)t. Wild cucum- 
bers, that rapid climber with its i)retty fealliery while blossom and queer prickly seed j)od, wer(> planted 
wherever we could find a place for tlieui to climb. 

Then the crows began to talk and we heard them deciding that we were now a portion of civiliza- 



.11. wliilr lli<- <al.l)aK'f nn.l cauliflowrr biitlorflii-.s won- so di-liglilol to tiiitl a nt-w farm, tli.-y «l<'ci<le<l 
..t t.. llv farlluT. 

TliV Ih-IiIs wito roiinli. ami it was next to impossible to plant in straijiht rows, m some cases we 
were foned to make a firill l>y liaii<l and plant hy hand, at other times a furrow was open<-<l liy Iwm- and 
llieM-.-ddrill rnn upon it. lii other pia(«-s tlie horses plowed a furrow, hand piantinn following. Certain 
it is whatever methcMl was pursued the soil responded and the plants wen- just as happy crooked as 

On May l«!lh we shippe.l the first product of the farm a hunch of radish<-s to Mr. Peters. He 
is the Fairy (i.Klfalher and always receives liic lirsl or the lii^^cst, as the <iiiidrcn say. Tlii-y were as 
anxious for him to have it as we were, and the lirst of everything fn.in their own wee >;ardens was 
religiously sent to him. 

On the •ilsl the Suffolk County Press A.s.so<'iation held their aiuiual uKctinj; at No. 1. Phey dnied 
out of «loors "al fresco," ealiuf; of the crops >;rowinn not a do/i-n paces ;iway. To them the Farm was a 
n-velation, for all of tliem were familiar with the vast tracts of unused lamis and to them it meant a 
new era for the Island they are ail working; for .so earnestly. 

To (piote from one of the number: 

Wonderful Long Island Soil 

//. H. FiillrrUm Shmrt Sciopaper Stin .Marreloiis RffitU) from Scientific Ute. 

I..IIIK Man.! .tKii is ailiiplol to tlic «rowin(f of nil kiiiiis of fruit and vfRpliiliit-.s in a dpRree that is only just l»<-Kinning to 
lir rriili/i-ii. It lia.s Iomr Ix-fn a |Kipiilar .tiiporslition tliat the island was a l)arren sand waste, which could Krow only marsh 
(frns». and lliiil noiif tiM> profusely. There are still a verv few people out.side of the island who believe it can jtrow more than 
IMHinil for iMiund of ve(fetal>les to" lM)ne fertilizer. It is safe to say that there is not a baker's dozen of people in all of New York 
("ilv who know the unlimited possilidities of llie l^ong Island soil. ... , . , 

.\ dav of awakeniuK is near at hand, however. .V man keenly alive to the real aRriculturul situation on the island (hi- 
nnnie is II. h. Fullerlon) has come into contact with a man keenly alive to the promising future of all of suburban New York, 
■ nil the result is that the island will lie developed with intelligence and patience along the very lines which Nature designed for il 

Hilph Pliers is the president of the Long Island Railroad and the man who is alive to the promising future of the suliurb- 
of New York. When Mr. Fullerlon. who can give the author of the ".Simple Life" cards and spades in "getting back t.. 
nature." -.howi-d Mr Peters what he had done in a small way with Long Island soil on his own place at Huntington, Mr. Peters 
said. "Fiillertiin. you can iloulil theories; liut the.se are facts," or words to that effect; and l)ecamc .so possessed of an enthusiasm 
for Ling Island soil that he wius not salislied until the railroad itself had taken holil of the task of demonstrating the soil's 
priMlucliveness. 

Well, the railroad has the task well under way; and you wouldn't believe, unless you had seen, what has lieen accom- 
plishnl since last fall. 

Ten acri>s of what were then virgin, tangled, oak land, a little at the west of the Wading River station, the last station 
on the Port Jefferson branch of the road, are now under cultivation ami growing almost every conceivable kind of fruit, vege- 
labli-s and flowers. Think of ill It was the despised "Liong Island .scrub oak land" last fall! .\nd now it is under cultivation 
and lionring the tenderest of garden truck. 

"Why, certainlv," numv a scoffer has been heard to say about it, "the experimental farm had the dollars of the railroad 
back of it III buv fertilizer willi. Of course you can make thirty cents grow if you plant a double eagle." But the joke is on 
the scoffer; for tliis rich little farm, which has been growing only trees, mosis, huckleberry vines and rattlesnakes since Columbus 
came over on the llanibiirg-.Vmerican or whatever line of steamers il was and nominated himself for discoverer of .Vnierica, 
this little farm has not used an ounce of that supiwi.sed cherished necessity of Long Island farming — bone fertilizer. .Mr. 
Fiillerton knew that the use of il would sound the death knell to his enterprise. 

The land was freed from stumps and the slumps were burned on the place On one acre there were over seven hundred 
of them. The wimmI ashes were left on the ground and the ten acres which were cleareil were sowed with r.ve, which in the spring 
was plowed undi-r. Then, in planliiig the pea.s, railishes and what not, very poor horse manure was u.s«I. So much for 
fertilizer, fish. iMine and every other kind — ex<-ept water! 

.\nil there is the .se<-rel. There', water enough on Peace and Plenty farm. There's a jittic kerosene engine which 
pumps it up from the earth and fills a la.nk. Clieap iron pipes carry it to the farm; and there isn't a piece of the land thai 
laiinot Iw reached by it. Old Sol can beat down as he will, and .Iiipiter Pluviiis go on as pniliingi'd a spree as he will, and noglerl 
his bii.siness; the crops will grow liecause ihev have the water. It is cheap irrigation, too. Here, again, the "money bags" 
of the railroail have mil been foolishly opeiieii. The melho<l of keeping the crops wet is such as any liriglit young man niighl 
go into as an inveslment on his farm. 

Kverything on the farm is practical; and every effort has been made to make the place a working mo<lel which a luisiness 
man <-ould copy. The aim has been to make it an economical market-garden, growing the finest prmluce on "LKing Island's 
liarrin sand wiist<"s," to put on the breakfast and dinner tables of that great mart of all marls for fresh vegetables and fruit 
New York ( ity. 

The I>ing Island Railroad invited the members of the Suffolk Counly Press .\.s.sociation to inspect the farm on Monda> 
■nd placiil a private train of two cars at their disposal. Mr. Fullerlon was the host in charge, on the train and on the farm. 
lusisteil al Ihe taller place by .Mrs. Fullerlon, who is, herself, an aiilhorily on horticulture. 

.■\ dinner was served under Ihe trees on Ihe farm on the arrival of the train about noontime, .\liout twelve of the Island 
writM-s s|M'nl one of I lie most enjoyable days of their lives on this occasion; tint, more important, were impres.sed lu never t>efore 
with till' piissiliililii's of I/ing Island soil. 

— Ainili/rilU- Record, May <5, 1006 

.\ drouuhl was startinj;, warm lliiil winds were blowiuf; sleailily day and night, a more trying; 
condition <'ould not In- fountl. 'J'lie irrigation sjirayers were started in the pc;ts. radislies and lettuce, 
still they did not respond as we w.inted tiiem to. 

"Try some nitrate of .soda and .see if that will give them a boost," 1 said. 

"I hate to do it," tin* S<'nior I'artner repli<'<l, "for I know as well as anyone liiey need cultivation 
they have not received." 

"Would you mind telling me where anyone has ha<l time to cultivate anything.^ Take three men 
on 13 Hcn's of new land and plant everything ever heard of and some that never were and there is no 
time left for <'iiltivation," 1 exclaimed. "We know they need cultivation and a lot el.s«' needs it t(M>, 
but we can't have an ideal markit-gardi-n here this year. I-ook what tin- soil has done alreatly." 

On the i'Mi\ .John mixed some nitrate of .soda with earth, half and half, and sowed it beside the 
|M-as, lettuce, cabbage and cauliflower (caiilillowcr between the peas, I mean, only KHI |>lants). 

'I hat was (III lbs. of nitrate, the umI.v fertilizer the r-rops ever liiid. Still «<• kept thi' sprayers going, 
for the drought Listed until the ind of .Fiine. but peas yielded, radishes were sn IJiick there was not force 
enough to gather and ship them, while lettuce began heading up in excellent sh.ipe. 

The la.st of .May g.ivc us the (irst discord in our Farm family. .\ woman we had befriended hail 
lM>«-n growing grutiipii-r and grumpier for some time, while a member of her family was often sullen and 
moruMT. .\ cluud-burst whs soon ti> appear, wc felt tin- Ininuin thunder in the air. 

90 





*• * 





At last tlu- |)Iia.s fnun licr '" lli.it llurr wiis more than one pair of hands coulil do," allliou>,'li sin- 
li.id Imvii working for a imirli larp-r family, lUcidcd llie (lueslion. Slio was citlier to slay iindiT the sami- 
(luuiitions >vitlioiit furtlicr lroiil)lr from lur, or ^n. do it was, and tlial proiiiplly on .Iiinu 1. 

The last day of May tlie man l)oanled the train from New York witlioiil leave. The Master ordereil 
him hack from I'ort Jt-lferson on the j;rounds of desertion, lie did not return ami the womainli.sappeured 
that afternoon, returning; about t) V. M. in a disturbed frame of mind. The seeret was out. The man 
returned the following ni^'ht in an upset condition, announced himself a deserter not only from the 
Farm but also from the Kn^'lish army and that he was a dangerous man generally. Amifl st<irm and 
much unplea.sjintness and many more intidents, the episode, although closed, left with us a feeling of 
re^-ret for a man who just misse<l bein^; a useful and fine member of the community. Powerful, well- 
liuilf, willing, ol)edient, faithful, many line traits, all spoiled by one weakness. 

Yes, we had our troubles. IJut Slike, liie Italian, was with us now, loyal and faithful, though three 
h.mds for these 13 acres was short help. 



I low we coaxed feathered insecticides to make their lioiiic willi us and 
save us time and monev 




111.- • liir.l IJalh' a( .No. I 



Lettuce of choicest strain 



Summer 



THE flrst day of June and I am going to invite you into the dairy-plot with me. 
A walk from the front gate where the lawn was .showing green, flowers growing hapi)ily 
and vines beginning to climb; past or through the little portable with its books, pictures and 
atmosphere of a busy life, out to the drive-turn in the middle of which was my vegetable flower 
bed. Here scarlet-runner beans were starting up the young oak saved from tlie fire's destruction. 
Cardoon around the tree, now borage with its large hairy leaves and a tuft (.f l)uds in the c^enter, then 
peppers and a large circle of rampion gorgeous with its delicate violet bells and parsley bordering 
the bed. 

Down the middle of the road (which by the way is not in the middle but one-third the distance 
from the north to the south fence) past the chicken house where the fowl were hapi)ily ensconced, a 
glimpse of rhubarb raising its enormous leaves above some kegs and boxes placed about the crown. 
To the left the orchard, every tree showing rich foilage of superl) color, here an ai)ricot standing 
out with its exquisite pinkish leaves, there a cherry almost black with intensity of vigor. The tomatoes 
between the rows of trees showing at a glance which were potted and which from a nurseryman's seed- 
bed, the former erect, sturdy, keeping right on with their life's work; the latter drooping, wilted, making 
a hard struggle to gain a foothold. 

To the right the lettuce drilled in, emerald green and reddish brown, peas dwarfed yellowing 
showing the need of an experimenter's mind and care in their behalf, radishes in the distance, rows upon 
rows of them, with transplanted lettuce in every third row (this plot was singled out for sui)er-intensive 
cultivation). Next beets with tops of rich red and sombre green growing in ragged rows, more coming 
up each day telling again of a prolonged successive yield, then onions telling the same story with cabbage 
plantlets from a Huntington grower in the background. 

To the right an unplantcfl acre, heaps of old mamu'e dotted upon it; this is to Ix- tlie melon field, 
' near the house and in full view of our buildings, a wise location for melons. Next this field the potatoes 
with a small boy, can in hand, picking the "potato tnigs." The leaves show when- Hordeaux and I'aris 
Green had been applied the day before, but the Colorado beetle cared naught for its presence. 

The next acre shows queer patches of early cauliflower, early corn, an<l parsnips — ^a sad tale the 

cauliflower tells of being raised with the heat loving tomatoes and then no one to cullivate it when it 

' had l)een set out but a few days. Here and there a huge one of superb color |)roclaimed where a bonfire 

' had burned last Fall, telling i)etter than words the value of wood ashes upon new land. To the right 

I of the road, the last acre before the dairy gate is reached, a patchwork (|uilt of true niarket-garden type. 

First some beautiful cabbage phuits of early Jersey Wakefield and -Vll Head, grown in the same hotbed 

as the cauliflower but feeling change much less; behind it a patch of tiny feathery carrots, the pride of 

I its planters' hearts because "old farmers" had none this year. Beside it oyster plant, green and white 

! endive in varying shades of tender green; next salsify and scorzonera looking like rows of grass. Nc'ari-r 
to us and next the road a big patch that should have been spinach, but a few plants, however, proclaimed 
the intent of the plot. Little harm was done by its loss, it required but thirty minutes to i)lant it and 
jibut a few more cents for seed and we knew for another time it was unwise to plant it in .\])ril, the plot 
i was ready to receive another crop with but small work of preparation. A tiny patch of corn planted 



April Mni'iiliviitli sliowi-d iiiun- than rvcr the ctrids i>f May's frosl ; an iiiliTcstinj,' cxixTiiiKiil liowevor 
that sluMiUI have tin- l)i'Mf(it of all tin* tiino nccdnl to jirovi- itsi-lf. JJriisscIs sprouts had iRt-ii scl IxHwccn 
llu- hills, iiiakiiif; the patch, \\r hoped, u little more j)ro(liirtive. Alas for our hopes, these i>laiiLs came 
from the suime nursery in Maryland as the lettuce, and l»rou>,'ht with them lilij;lit and cabha^e louse, 
an act that should no mon- he tolerate<l than the shi|ini<'nl of orchard trees infested with San Jose scale. 
\\v reach the dairy line, John, Ted and Mike an- at work upon Acre 1 to the ri>;ht. The acre is 
divided into (piartcrs and l>eiii>,' pre|)ared to receive alfalfa. The field has already heen plowed, dressed 
with C'anaila woo<| ashes, harrowed, leveled, rolled, harrowed and harrowed a^ain, raked and again 
rolled in order that the soil mij;ht he in the Ix-st possihie condition. We have hrought with us some 
I.itnuis paper, and to test the acidity of the soil, a handful is moistened at a nearby irrigation stand-pipe 
and the paper applied. .Vnxious watching and it slowly turns blue. 

".Ml right," calls the Farmer, "sow that soil carefully John, in the northeast quarter and don't 
let any lap into the other (piarters. When you come to harrow it in Mike, let Ted go with you and lift 
the harrow from (piarter to (piarter so no earth will be dragged." 

The soil.^ That is from an old afalfa field up New ^'ork State and we are sowing it to inoculate 
our soil with bacteria. The far or northwest corner is th<' highest you notice, it is the check quarter, 
that will have no intwulation whatever. The southerly arc I'. S. (piarters, one will have the .seed, and 
the other both se<-il and soil inoiiilated with bacterial culture from the U. S. (juvernmeut Laboratories; 
this is a ti'st for I'ncle Sam. 

The acre across to tin' left is divided in half; this was the poor thing that was not plowed until 
this Spring. Isn't it rough and arn't the rows crooked.^ Teo-sinte, the Japanese fodder that can be 
cut four times in a season, won't care. See, it's breaking ground. Yesterday they sowed the other 
half of this acre with Japanese barnyard millet. 

And this? Oyes, white flint corn, beyond sorghum, and still beyond, ^ irgiiiia horse tooth. The\ 
were planted the twi-iil \-sixtli and of course are not up yet. 

" \Vh.\ do we |)lant in hills?" you ask. "Isn't that old fashioned?" Perhaps, but a good fashion, 
for the crop can be <ultivated both ways by horse, saving that tremendously expensive item — hand 
labor. Hut w liy do you raise corn here, you (juery, you thought that was given uj) in the Kast long ago. 
We are not raising corn, we are raising silage. Here at the <'nd of the road in this protected swal< 
will be the ctiw barns and silo, all these croi)s will be gathered for the silo, for modern dairymen carry all 
food to the cows in balanced rations, ("omc and .see us again when these crops are growing. 

Here you .see the rough unstumped land and there the "Daddy-long-legs" harrow with which the 
attempt at ciMture used to be made. \Ve have tried it, the work is tremendous, the strain and liabilit\ 
to injury to horse astounding, while the results amoimt to naught. AVc are putting in Canada field 
peas and cow peas, but the chances of germination are small, because it is impossible to cover 
the seed. 

1.^'t me take you back through the south of the Farm. Here is the black Mexican corn, the 
sweetest and weirdest of all the sugar corns. It is already breaking ground. Next are mangel wurzel- 
and sugar beets; .some of the .seed was soaked ov<'r night to see if it would hasten germination. N> 
is where the swt-et j)otatoes will go. Do we think they will do well here? Yes, but not as well as 
the lighter .soil on Kxperiment Station No. 2, at Medford. It is an experiment worth trying howevi i 
for they have been grown successfully on the North Shore. AVe plan to put in nearly an acre. 

Why is this [)art of the land so very rough, you ask. O, this is the acre that had 797 stump-^ 
upon it, all o\tr eighteen inches in diameter. Imagine the forest that one day nuist have covered it. 
These acres eight and nine are left for late "flowers," cabbage and sprouts; btit acre nundier .seven, 
ilown \onder, is thriving. These are a second planting of green j)od and wax beans, next scpiash and 
pumpkin with cucumlier alongside. I know they are sui)i)o.sed to mix, but they never have in our home 
garden and I see no reason why they should here. 

This is a third planting of corn, there are five varieties here and all up strong you see. Yes. limns 
next, both bush and pole, lieyond you .see a s])ace without poles, here we intend placing a section ef 
fence, for we have a theory that the beans will ripen more evenly, while by cutting the ruimers back 
we will throw the strength into the beans. .Another experiment you see. 

Stop here ,1 nmnieiit and look over the Farm, then look beyond to the west and see what it w 
just nine short months ago. Has the ex|)eriment jjaid, is it not already proven that the land is prodii 
live, though the harvest is not yet? 

('•mie through the orchard and you will sec the tomatoes in bloom. L<iok, here is one alrea<i 
formed. O, there's no doubt but that potted plants pay. 

Here are the strawberries. It's no wonder you are surprised; yes, they are actually in bloom 
Did you ask when they w<'re planted? Last No%ember. There is tJie I'do, as^hapjiy in .\merica a^i 
in Japan, and there in tin- .seed-bed are the Pe-tsai, Chinese carrots and Sakurajima radishes. 
Have I given you, my readers, a glimpse of the Farm this first day of June? 
The next day the melons were planted, a furrow run, a big forkfid of manure placed in each hill, 
some <artli drawn over aiul the seed sown. These are greedy fellows and we felt success would be! 
lacking for them in unaided new ground. There were four varieties of cantaloupes and two of water- 
luelon.s. 

Sucli busy days as the diary now reveals: potatoes and beans to be sprayed with Bordeaux, lettn 
to be cultivated, radishes to be washed, bunched anri shippi-d to market, lima beans to be repl.ii\t' 
wh' < Illation was poor, peas hand-cultivated and acre seven horse-cultivated, a thousand an I 

•""■ nary d<K's not reveal, including photographs by the .score. Tluis jiasses a single day. 

' ugs busy with books and chemicals, to bnl late and U) rise early, but living in the fn • 

and ojM-n, close to mother earth and her unparalleled wonders. 

Thf birds wen- joming -swallows, thrushes, bluei)irds, they were looking ft)r water and well \ 
knew if they found it they would build, becoming neighbors and benefactors in their destruction > f 
insect life. 

M 



:i^x- 




Preparing vegetable food for city dwellers 



Over in the ilairy unions the pinos, tin- Siiiior I'lirtiHT foiiiid, last Fall, a stumi) loiij; and sK-nd. r 
nnd lii.Ilowrd iiiJo a l.asin. At tlic timo ho Uumjihi of a l»ird l)atli. Now was llic tinu- to fix it. 

"Mikr, hitcli ii|) Tixas and f;o '"•<» '•'<• <I"iry antl l)rinn in that stump; we'll i)ipe it to-nif,'lit ajd 
liavp n fountain in the front lawn." | I 

"Can't wr po too?" cnmo the piping voices of wee ones. 'j 

"Of eours*' you may, and I'll no with you for Mike doesn't know wliere it is," I replied. I 

.Ml that ev«MiinK hy lantern lijrht the j)lunil)ers worked. Mike su|>plantinK the 'longshoreman, 
and a wonderful ehan^e for the hetter it proved to I>e, for Mike had heen trained as a pipe fitter. In 
fart, he sin-nis n jack of all trades: f<>lii)ler. (•arpenl<T. pluniher. farmer: that neecssary adjun<-t to a 
eompli-te home a "h.mdy man." The stumi) was .set l>y the (lanstalf where on Decoration Day thi; 
llafj Iiad Iteen raised on its new jMile to half mast. (The American Flap ha.s ahvnys waved at Peace 
and Plenty). .\ very convenii-nt hole in one of tlie tap roots admitted of a pipe heing run throuRli, 
while a nas-jel as a tip threw a fine spray like a fan .shaped flame. The stump was inclined sliRhtly 
forwanl, a kerosene liarrel, with the holtom knocki-d out, sunk at the end of the stump; this filled witli 
large stone receive*! the ilrip from the fountain. From our next trip to the beach we rettirned ladened 
with ItriRhl pehhies which the children dropped in the fountain l)owl to sparkle in tlie water. In a 
few days our efforts were rewarded (if the ix auly of it .ind the trickling; soimd of water was not reward 
enoufjh) for lihiiliirds came for a l)alli. tlien tlie thrnslies. and later indi^'o-huntin^s and yellow warbler-, 
wliile sparrows of many varieties proceeded at once to build in the tre<'s about th<' homest<'ad. 

On the fourth the State .\f,'ri(ullural Inspector arrived, his surprise at the Farm's api)earaii 
warmed our hearts. and inspircfl us with new courajjeand fjreater determination. We needed the eour.ii 
for that .sjune day we discovered root magpot in Pe-tsai and Sakurajima radish. We had wondcre«i 
why the latter went to blossom while so small, for at home they prcw enormou.s before sending up th'; 
bios.som stalk. Hoot maggot galore in every last one of them! 

".Ml right, sir. we'll fix you." we said. 

"Ted, l.ike out all those Sakurajima (there was one long row), fork over the ground well and mak>> 
a drill in exactly the same i>lac<'. Everlastingly pour in Canada wood ashes in the bottom of the drill . 
and we'll plant Sakurajima right over again in that same .spot," said the Railroad Farmer. 

"It will be a tough maggot that can live in tho.se ashes, sir," said Ted. "Guoy! but they d ■ 
go for my 'an<ls." 

No maggots could stan<l them and our Sakurajima filled tlie heart of even a Jap with deli^' 
for he earned one home from the Fair weighing ten poiinds. 

With th(> exodus of the 'longshoreman's family, came "Shep," a cook loaned us to tide over imll 
new help could be procured. We were somewhat of a family; we four and the stenographer, Ted, 
Mike, Nettie and Waller, my faithful maid's brother of fourteen whom we took from a home, knowing' 
well the value of a boy this age to "fetch and carry." 

In a few days Uoger and Sophia, a colored couple of some fifty-five summers, appeared. .\ui ' 
Soj»hie was a sweet-faced, gray-haired little bit of a woman, wliile Uncle Roger was large, rheum;.' 
and jolly. She was a true Southern cook and gave us loads upon loads of hot bread and fried thin 
in general. Fncle had always been a porter and didn't know a hoe from a shovel. The agricultur. 1 
instinct is in the race, liowever, and he soon learned to hill up corn and hoe potatoes in due and ancient 
form. In spite of all tlie modern farm machinery there is a certain amount of hand labor necessar 
especially in new ground. 

Peanuts went in early in .May, the little Spanish and the huge Mammoth. 

^^'alte^ soim learned to gather radishes, assist in transplanting and made himself generally usefn'. 
l'"rom the seed-bed were transplanted 180 kohl rabi, some of the North China products, and EnieraM 
Isle kale. 

Radi.shes were so abundant it kept one of us busy all day, wa.shing and packing them. Mat 
were .sent direct to one of the big restaurants, being packed, unbunched. in crates lined with parafl 
paper 1,400 radisln's to a crate was the average and each radish perfect f>f its type. One of o 
first resolves and firm compacts was that nothing but the very best that we could produce should le.i 
the Farm. Therefore from radishes, right through the season, every variety was sorte<l, washed 
polished, according to its needs. 

On the .seventh of .Tuni' tlie .shijiment reads fifty-five bunches for a Huntington grocer. 1.400 loi 
in a crate to a New York n-staurant, and twenty-one bunches each in a jiaper pot to the "Ilisto 
Makers" anr] exjierts who visited the Farm the day the first stump was blown up. 

Te<l and Walter were .set "bushing" peas. We wished to test the lime given to bushing and tl 
to placing a |)ortable wire fence (a strip of wire fastened to .sharpened stakes). Rrushing two m 
each «>ne hundred feet Umg ri-qiiired one and'<me-half hours, placing fence to the same length ro 
required eight minutes. The wire w;is neat, .satisfactory and easy to ])ick from. The bush w;us stragg' 
untidy and almost impossible to pick from, esjieei.dly if the picker wore long hair ami skirts. 

Potato bugs were pestering the life out of us by this time. Walter picked by hand each moriii 
and stninge to say they were worse on the tomatoes than on the potatoes. John dusted a niixln 
of Bordeaux Paris (Jreen and l.md |)laster dry upon the potatoes and blew slug .shot upon the tomato< 
yet the iM-ellc went merrily on its way rejoicing. 

Some exquisite eggplants from the Huntington grower were set in the cast end of the orchard aniei 
the tomato rows when* imporli'd tomatoes had given up the ghost. In twenty-four hours they wei 
!Mj black Willi flea Iwf-tle you could not iletect the color of the leaves. Hellebore blown cm thick .si^eni' 1 
to drive tli>-iii away. 

Wc li.i\. ii standing joke in our little home town. The assistant postmaster is an enthnsia.s' 
gardener, and .ibose all else he loves an eggplant. For ye.irs he has tried to rai.se them and never li 
Miecre«le<| in .ven gelling one to .s<4. 

"Hello, neighbor," he called Ibrough the fiost-olHce window, "I hear you're goin' farmin' out 
in the Ncrub oak.<i." 



•• \. |). iiikI wr'll raiso iinytliiiiK llml urows on the l('iii|KTaU> zone," was the confident njoimler 

"Hot you .lout.'" Ik- n-plicd. "Ui-t you <au't raise an egf^plant." 

•• laken," orieil the entliusia.slic one. "I'll semi yc.u tlie finest eggplant you ever ale W-top 
SuninuT's over." _ 

And so flea beetle on those precious plants would nevir ilo. 

Of ctiurM-, the mounds nluuit the orchard trees had In-en leveled in the early Spring, now was Ih- 
time to give llu'm a nnilch of olil straw from the stable, this one not to kee|> them warm, but to conwrvi- 
the moisture about the roots. , ,• , , • • i , 

Radish s»H(l was planted in every melon hdl, serapmg the earth slightly with the foot, dropping- 
a few s,ed. pushing the soil baek and trea<liiig ui)on it. That sounds like a shiftless way to j)lant. 
>!.«•> it not? but this was only a guartlian crop; they break the grouiiil, germinating in a few days, 
also the flea beetle loves radish leaves much belter than melon leaves, and feasts ui>on the latter only 
when the former are not to be found. 

The spinach patches being virlu.dly a failure, Walter was sent over them to pick .some for home 
u.se, then Ted sowed Canada wood ashes preparatory to cuUivatiiig for a new crop of a different type. 

The ashes remind me of an incident of the the early Sunuuer. The higli-chief-lx.ss farmer had 
just gone over to Thanksgiving Cottage to dinner, wIkii .Mike appeared .saying: 

"They a man over there want .see you, Mr. Fuller'." 

"Well, tell him to make himself at home and 111 be there in a minute." 

Mike returned very j)romplly, .saying: "He .say he can't wait, very iinj)ortant." 

"Tell him to come over here then, I'm going to finish this meal as quick as 1 can and get back 
to work." 

The gentleman ajjpeared making profuse apologies and saying he was from the State Department 
s«'nt to analyze our fertilizers. 

"You've an ea.sy job neighbor," said the Senior Partner, "better sit down ami join ine in ni.\ 
frugal meal. We haven't any fertilizer but good old stable manure." 

"That's a pretty story all right, .Mr. Fullcrlon, but everyone knows you couldn't make a plac 
look like this without chemical fertilizer," he replied. 

"It's a fact nevertheless. Why, man alive, this is virgin soil, what does it want with ehemicjil 
fertilizers? I wouhln't have u.sed manure if it had not been burned over so many years. All thi- 
land needs is humus." 

Hy this time they bad gone out upon the Farm and were joined by another gentlemen, a companion 
to the first. 

The spokesman said: 

".Mr. Fullerton claims he has used no commercial fertilizer, Jim." 

Whereupon ".Jim" asked: 

" What are all those bags in the barn then, Mr. Fullerton?" And it was said with a tone of voic. 
that implied that the Railroad Farmer was caught "dead to rights" this time. 

"Canada wood ashes, help yourselves. Take a whole bag with you and analyze it if you desire." 

They went to the barn and were soon thoroughly convinced it was wood ashes pure and simple. 

".Mike bring me that bag of nitrate of .soda." 

"This, gentlemen, is the only thing in the nature of a chemical fertilizer that I shall use thi^ 
year and I got this only as a hasteiier for lettuce, celery and cinlive. This is one of the J'"arm's best 
a.s.sets." .\nd he showed them out behind the barn a tarred kerosene barrel sunk beside the stalls, 
raising the lid disclo.sed all the lirpiid stable waste. 

"This is as good as nitrate and costs nothing," he further explained. 

The experts went away after more carefully inspecting the crops, fully convinced that our poin' 
was well takt-n and .saying: 

"Well, those fellows down in the village will be mightily disappointed when they see us, for the> 
were sure you had some special brand of fertilizer and we told tin in we could fin<l out all about it. Hiit 
we've nothing to say. .\rn't you ever going to use fertilizer, Mr. l*'ullerton?" 

"Rless your soul.s, yes. Didn't I use fertilizer when I ])lowcd that rye under? Next VM I an 
going to i)iit on about ten tons to the acre of manure again and 1 am going to turn under crimson clover 
vetch and rye on I'very sf|uare foot I can get ]>i:iiit<-d. Then I shall use lime for a sweetener, for we ni>\> 
can afford the lime a little tinn- to work. Next ."summer when 1 am jnilting in a second and third ere] 
on the .same ground 1 shall probably use blood and bone or bone meal. Don't misunderstand me, 1 tliin^ 
eliemical fertilizers are bully for old worn out land, but it would be like 'carrying coals to Newcastl' 
to put it on this virgin .soil. The craze for chemical fertilizers has gone too far. There are plae> - 
where tlw-y have put it on s<t heavy (with the tlnory that if one ton is good two tons will be better 
that they have chemical laboratories, not farms. .Ml chemical fertilizer is 'lazy man's way.' he clauii- 
ln- will not have weeds, so will .save; cultivation. Weeds arc the farmer's best friends, they force hin 
to eulti\ate, and lack of cultivatif)n is the crime of modern farming. If they'll jiile .some old luauur' 
on that ground now and so liberate through decomposition the various component parts of the eheinic;il 
f«'rlilizers, they will havit farms again." 

"We're glad to hear you speak that way, Mr. Fullerton, for the fertilizer men all thought y<' 
were ilown on them and ftlt pretty sore about it." 

"(ii\e them my love and tell them they are the best thing that ever happened, only they ni' 
working the game the wrong way. They think by selling a man two tims where he needs one tin ^ 
are doing gnil work. lx:t them study the subject and give the farmer real help even if they onl> 
Hell him half a tun, they'll be much better off in the en<l and the farmers will swear by them, instead ef 
at them us tin ir crops run lower and lower." 

"You're right, Mr. Fullerton, we're glad we came," as they swung on the train. 
Hy the ch.venth of Jum; the radishes were so well gathered, sweet ct)rn was planted in every third 
row (radishea had been planted eighteen inches apart), while Ted with the IManet Jr., cultivated all of 







Real Sweet Potatoes and plenty of them 







Sweet Potato Vines in early Summer 



aire iiiimlMT llin<- iit llic iiflrrnonn. Tlir.sc litllt- liaiul iin|)lciiu'iit.s an- woiiiltrfiil lime savers, two 
>i.les tif a row .ire eiillivaleil in llie liiiK- it lak.s |<i walk <I.i\mi a n»w; in llie new ^n>ini«l it took lonjjer, 
f.ir soniitiines luirklelierr.v rooK «onl<l elieek I Ik- |>ioj;n>s, l»nt as time permilteil. all the rows were 
rakeil after enltivalinf;. wliieli ^ave the land a nnuli cleaner a|)|iearaiiee. In faet, tlie rakes uUaeiied 
to the cultivator mak«' ahoiit the hesl tool ima^jiiiahle for this work. Ted always called it liis "hiiln" 
and went whistling' down the rows, coverinj; the ^'round in truly remarkahle time. Kven I'ncle Hofjcr 
f,'ol so he could push one after his slow fashion, while we would see .Aunt Sophie steal from tlu- kitchen 
and riui him a race with one across the fit'ld. 

"^ou'all makes nu- tin-d f,'oiri' so sh)W wid dat ling, why don't you gil along." 

"Haw! haw I haw! Vou tiiik I'm a spring chicken, don' you know I gol de rhoumalis powerful 
had.' (io wan! " 

'I'he s|)inach |>atcli ou acre iiumi>cr three was ready for Mike and tiie horses. It did not need 
plowing, .so he w«-nt over it with the horse cultivator live limes, with tiic lev<lcr three times, then raked 
it. dragging the lint- roots to the road and linally gave il a good roiling, leaving the plot in perfect con<li- 
tion. This latter operation is one thai is seldom atlempt(-d in farm work, .\fler <-ullivating, the 
soil is left in .so porous a coiulition the roots do not gel a firm hold until rains have flattened it well. 
I'ed and John <-ame right along witii the .seed drill and in Iwo hours had tin- entire patch planted with 
iiiiions. carrots, peas, ln-ans and sugar ix-cls, seveiity-six rows each I'iT feet long. The rows w<'re as 
straight as a ilie, the drill did nol (-he<-k once, in fai-t, no oiic-liundred-yt-ar-old farm could jiroduce 
a plot in hettt-r ,se«-d-l>eii i-ondition, and this was not yt-l a .\<-arliug. 

This |)lantiui; of peas aixl lie.-ius was the third one of each. 'I'he first planting of peas you will 
r<-meml)cr \\<- saw on our walk to tin- d.-iir.w Th(-y matured vi-r_\' early, W(-re extremely dw.irf and the 
\ in«-s _\<-llowcd liadlv. It pu/./.h-d us nuicli to know the causi-. \\'c irrigat(-d (which no douKt saved 
tlu-ir lives during the drought of Ma.v) and we wood-aslu-d them. The second i)lanling on acre numher 
s«-ven w<'re lallt-r liul startetl to yellow also. 

■■\\ell, it heals me," said llie Farmer, "what do you su|)pose makes it!' 'J'here is a palcli in th<- 
mi<ldli- pt-rfectly normal, tall, green and luxuriant. ' 

"Thai's where a bonlire was last Fall, " I rejoined. "Don'l you lliink Ihey need more asiies." 

"We've j)ul more ashes on Ihem. Don'l you rememher I had Jolin .sow Ihem last week?" 

"Yes, l)ul mayhe Ihey need il underneath; It Is plant more down on the spinach patch and give 
them a good do.se of il." 

"All right, Fll go you," was Ihe rejoinder. 

This crop was entirely .satisfactory, the .soil had het-n heavily sown with ashes, and when the peas 
wen- ahoul four inthes high, more ashes were sown along the rows, then the lillle Planet Jr. |)low atlach- 
m«-nt was run through, hilling tht- vines up well. The crop was ahundanl and of high (piality. 

Means had ln-cn <in<- of our greatest disappointments; w»- knew well their susct-ptihility to anthrac- 
iiose (so-callt-d hean rust i. and to guard against it hail s|)r;iye(l th«-m with HonU-.-iux. The vint-s were 
superl), l:iden with pod.s and almosl rt-ady lo gathc-r; in a niglil tlu-y were goiK- with Ihe dread disease. 
Those lu-xt to lh(- houst-, hy the tower, were Ihe first to go. A .second ap|)lication of Bordeaux on the 
s<-cond planting, acn- mimher seven, was |)romptly made, but il did not save the croj). Tlu-refore 
Ix-aiis went in besiile the jx-as with a firm resolve to spray Iht-m the minute llu-y apix-ared above ground. 
In six days they ap|>eared. 

"John, liiose beans are up and you want lo get Bordeaux on them at once." 

".Ml rigid, sir, shall I use it dry.^" 

"Not on your life! I'se il wet and soak 'em for fair. Fni going lo have some good beans ofT 
this place if it lakes a leg." 

In six mori- days they were wood-aslied and !iilled-up like the |)eas; in another two weeks they 
W(-re Bordeauxed again. The yield w:is perfect; beans in alumdanct', and while the other |)lantings 
had rect-ived as many a|)plii-ations of Bord<-aux wt- feel th(-y n(-<-d it when very small, as this dist-ase 
must be prevent«-d; il <-annol be cured. This |)atch one hundred and twenty-seven feet long and 
twenty-nine fe<-l wid(-, yielded twelve and oiu'-half bushels of slringle.ss and wax beans. 

Potato bugs and flea beetle were still making lace of |)olaloes and tomatoes whih- I lie (abbage 
wurm was kecjiing us very busy as well. 

By the fourteenth of Jun<- we women folk were picking |)cas for shipinent, while- Mike was pn-paring 
.icre niuMlicr ten for sweet potatoes. Il rccpiired much culiivating and leveling to get it into anything 
like »hi|)sha|)c condition. Ted was cultivating lettuce and w<-eding tin- strawberries. 

"Mother, what shall we do.^" ejnue small voices. 

"Help us pick p«-as, won't you.^" I answered. 

"(), yes, I'll help," sii'ul Hope and sIk- |>rom|>tly .sat down in the |)at(-h an<l proceeded to eat all 
she could riaeh. "Thai's great helping," I .said, "the guests at the French restaurant will enjoy those." 

"••well, never mind, mother, he can liavt- the 'fatty, fatty, boom-a-latti<-s' and I will eat the 
■petit pois." They an- sweetest," said the connoisseur, just turned .seven. 

"I.ook. mjiinmy, ain't I a helper?" pipt-d tlu- four-yi-ar old. \\i apn>n full of big outs disclosetl 
Inr cITorls. but then she does not t-art- for peas (-it her raw or cooked. 

That night the |)lants jirrived. Sweet potatoes, cauliflower, Bru.s.sels spn.uls. tomatoes, celery 
an<I U-lliK-e fnim .Maryland. They were taken from the bjusket carriers, spna.l upon tin- c.-llar earth 
iUutT, and thonmghly .sprinkled. 

The next d.iy wa.s very hot aixl the gn)unil ex(-eptionally dry. Mik<- took Texas out and plowed 
U|) ridges for the sweet potaltK's. Thi-y an- always planted in i\us way. for they love <lry .soil an<l nuist 
never have watci ,l4ind in the n»ots; b.-sides when .s(» planted the vin«-s an- more t-asilv nused to clietk 
nM.luigat each vine j.. int. Inde f..llowed raking off n.ots while John and Ted planted", Walter h(-l|)ing. 
A dibble hole wiw made. Waller filled il with water and dn)pped a phmt; Mike came after, setting them. 
A hing hose attached lo a Hlandanl at the center n.ad and run aen>.ss the fields, gave them water right 



'il 




The Long Island "Home Hamper" 
A "Farm to Family Fresh" creation at No. 1 



Hi 



nl hnnil- scon- mmilur two for llir irrifjalion system wliilc llic same lii<k later >;ave them water haiulv 
for mixing; fiinpeitles and insect ieitles to l>e applied in the far fields. Ai 

A hiukel of water to wliicli had Keen added a enpfnl of oatmeal and a sliced lemon, to removiP ' 
the flat tn.ste, was kept there for tlrinkin^' jmrposes. Krecpient drinks on hot days are n«'cessary, hut 
thcstoinaeh must he kept active lest the lilood rush to the head. The oatmeal water kce|)s Ihc stomach 
in just the j)roper etmdition. It does not look pretty to drink, and .some of them at first refused it. 
iiolieed, however, every hot day thereafter ciime the recpiest for oatmeal-watcr. 

On that .same day the diary .says: 

"( irasshojipers appi ared to sit upon the sweet p'tater vine. Turkeys now the only thin>,' lacking;." 

'I'liat day ahout :t..jO() sweet j)otalo j)lanls went out. The next day dawned with warm heavy 
.sliowers; the men worked as he.st they could hetween them finishinj,' the sweets, while .Mike cultivate<l 
fodder corn. In the afternoon John and Ted .s<'t out l.SOO cderiac on acre numhi-r one l»y the house 
and in the .s«'<-«l-l»ed swali-, an<l about 400 tomatoes in the orchard, again filling u|) gaps. The j)lanls 
were nil fair looking specimens, hut none equal to home-grown. Still we had no choice; plants we had 
to have and we could not grow them ourselves, therefore, after much study, wc onhred from a firm 
considered the largest and best in the c(juntry. .Mas for the day these plants touched the \Aiuv as 
futun- history will show. , 

The Hrussels sprouts were the saddest looking of all the i)lauts; the leaves were yellowing in spit 
of fretpient waterings, aiui this was Saturday. 

Slike came to Mr. Fullerton and said in a whisper: 

"I gel up early to-morrow and i)lant those sprouts. I no l)clic\e in work Sunday, hut can't b 
h<'lp. those sprouts must be plant or they die." 

".Ml right, Mike. I am glad you spoke, for Mrs. Fullerton and I were going to do it ourselv€ 
anyhow, ^'ou're right, they'll die if they don't go in to-morrow." 

'J'his is one of the worst features of buying plants, they come all in a lump regariile.ss of ordei 
regardless of whether \ou are ready for them, regardless of weather conditions or the time of wedl 
Having your own plants in your own ,seed-bed they can be transphinted when conditions are favorabU 

We made a little motto for ourselves this year: 

" liaise your own plants even if you cover only half your acreage, it will pay." 

The s|)routs went in on a Sunday morning and the day should liave cleansed them of all their 
sins. Alas, it took but a few weeks to show us they might belter have lain and died upon the cellar 
floor. Hlack rot and cabbage lou.se were rampant upon them. And the celeriac.-' Covered with 
blight. 

The next week one of our neighbors dropped in to see us and he said: 

"Three years ago I did not have time to sow any celery seed, so I ordered some plants from a 
Maryland firm. 'J'hey were pretty poor specimens of celery all right and soon developecl celery blight 
and do you kncjw it is in my ground so now I cjin't raise celery without an awful fight." 

"Oh neighbor, neighbor, if we liad only known! Ours came from the same place and we not only 
have celery blight i)ut cabbage louse and black rot, and it is spreading over the whole farm at a most 
appalling rate." 

"It's a crime!" I exclaimed. "Why docs the Government allow it, when no nursery is allowed 
to send out stock unless it is inspected. This is wor.se than San Jose scale. It means bankruptcy." 

"Why, I've heard since that these big growers' places have been infected for years and they 
can't grow a thing to maturity. Kul w hat do they care, the seedlings don't show it and it's loo much 
trouble to si)ray," said our neighl)or. 

"It's a burning .shame," I said. "A brand new place like* this covered with blight the first year!" 

"Well, if spraying and hand i)icking will check it," said liie Senior Partner, "it wcm't get into tl 
soil. And if hard and persistent work will prevent it, I am sUtc our beloved 'Peace and Plenty' will !■ 
exempt from further trouble." 

June twenty-sixth saw seventy-seven heads of lettuce oflf for New York, crisp, linn, fre>h ami 
delicious, packed in jiaratfin paper ready to be eaten the same day. Thai's what New York needs, 
fresh vegetables that ha\e not been on the road a week. 

Our own cauliflower and cabbage seedlings in the .seed-bed were well along by this lime. They 
were planted June fourth and were making sturdy growth for a late crop. (Jal)bage worms were after 
thi'in, however, .so Paris CJreen, and Hordeaux were ke|)l uiKin them. i''requent cultivatings \\;ith tli<' 
Planet Jr. (Ted loved to run through them just before he put the implement away) kept them growing 
steadily and helped devel<)|) a fine root .system. 

Some j)igs had been ordered in the early summer, but failed to arrive. We knew their vahit 
aji consumers of refuse and providers of fertilizers, l)esi<lcs making a good winter |)rovision. Om 
(a Chester whil<-) out of the fmir fin.illy arrived (tn the twenty-third and was i)romptly named " Hven- 
tually." A wi«'k later a bhii k Berkshire came and being promised to the wcc one she nametl her 
"Violet." These .seemed all the dealer could procure for us, st> our good friend of the ai)ple orchanl 
»4-nl two Poland (Jhinas. Hope named hers "Uosebud," while mine a.ssumcd the name of "Cecdw" 
in lionor of our good frieml. 

Karly peas were tak<-n out on the twenty-eighth and Mike j)repared the patch in the same maimei 
a.s he pursued with the spinach patch. The j)ea vines, by tin; way, were put into the compost heap. 
for this is one of the plants well worth .saving, giving back its accumulated nitrogen as it decompose- 
Hud •onditions permitted the vines wouhl have been jilowed under, but the ground was to. 
rough for that. 

( eirry was planted on a portion of the space, while endive and turni|>s occupied the balance 
Kndive wa.s planted again, because tin- first .sowing, lacking sufficient cultivation, had rim u|) to .s«ed 
Three men and a rheumatic cm thirteen aen-s. We should have had a man to the acre to handle tli' 
crops |>roperly. A pretty expensive; proposition you will .say; iiol for a market ganhiier who raise- 
three aii<l four crops a year on every inch of ground. .\sk any good one and .see. ^ou w ill say. " Well 



why didn't you have them if you needed them." For two reasons, we had no shelter and we were 
proving what a man could do with a small amount of help, and, just as the other man would find, 
some things would be left undone. 

Lettuce and beans or peas were being shipped daily now. Imperfect heads, or those not quite 
hard enough for market were sent to hospitals, Y. M. C. A.'s and the Sunshine Society. 

Ted found time in the evenings to work on the shower bath we had long intended for the men. 
A space beside the engine was partitioned off, cement floor laid on a slant, pipe connections made and 
a spray attached. This was thoroughly enjoyed by the Englishman, but Italian and American 
natures seemed to "dodge." 

The last day of June found us preparing to fill acre eight with cabbage and cauliflower from our 
own seed-bed. July first fell on Sunday, a second one destined to be a work day. Early morning in- 
spection showed the cabbage so full of worms we were afraid to leave them until morning, so faithful 
Mike, who knew the danger as well as we, "passed" them with Paris Green. It took us sometime to 
quite understand this phrase of his: 

"Mr. Fuller' I think best I pass cauliflower to-morrow, what you think — of course you boss," 
with a shrug of the shoulders. 

We finally gathered that he wished to spray the cauliflower. 
The last time I saw him I said: 
"Mike, how's the cauliflower?" 

"My gaw! Miss Fuller' I pass them eleven time and they no good, I never see such worms." 
And his eyes snapped with true Italian fire. 

This same Sunday night more plants arrived from the South. 

"I don't dare look at them," I said. "Of all the times of year to travel these past three hothouse 
days are the worst. They must all be dead." 

And a sorry looking sight they were; celery, more sweet potatoes and late cabbage. These plants 
had been ordered of a Long Island nurseryman who said he could supply us. Irony of fate! They 
were from the same Maryland grower! 

The following day foreboded rain, so the entire farm turned out to plant. By no means least 
among the number were the wee ones. The procession moved like this: Mike and Buckeye making a 
furrow, Ted following drawing a plank to smooth the top a bit. Uncle Roger making dibble holes, John 
and Walter sorting out the plants that might possibly grow, Hope with a basket of plants upon her 
arm dropping one at each hole, Eleanor placing the plant in the hole and Mike coming after and firming 
them, the Junior Partner marking each row, while the Senior Partner with a camera made the scene a 
part of history. It was hard work, but many hands made it light, while good will and bantering fun 
made the time seem shorter. As a test of speed, Mike, Walter, Hope and Nettie planted 498 drurnhead 
cabbage in twenty-five minutes. The small ones grew pretty tired but did not desert until the last 
plant was in. Rain came and we were all glad the good work had been accomplished. 

Blight was spreading fast, aided and abetted by continued damp, warm weather. It kept two 
men busy "passing" the various crops. 

On the third, melons were ready to be thinned and radishes pulled from the hills. They had 
fulfilled their mission and strange to relate many were still in fine marketable condition; from the field 
we sorted 1,200 as fine as heart could desire. 

The fourth could not pass without some celebration and a case of fireworks made the little ones 
long for evening. Big ones enjoyed the day as it passed. A diminutive cannon gave the grown-up 
boys much pleasure and the national salute of twenty-one guns echoed from the surrounding hills. 
Target practice has always been our "fourth" habit, for I think a woman should know how to 
shoot as well as a man. A target was placed in the swale to the south of the barn; we took our turns 
using revolvers. Mike and I took honors, while for the sake of my sex I must say I led, but the shots 
showed all of us would have "winged our man." Shotguns followed, firing at a can thrown in the air; 
that weapon is not to my liking, so I withdrew before I lost prestige. Mike is a fine shot, while Ted 
followed a close second. Old Uncle had a glorious time but most of his shots went wild. I have no 
doubt the contest was a good thing; the melon patch was let severely alone. The evening's display 
was a delight to all and although our neighbors had been invited, but few appeared. 

On the sixth, crops began coming in in earnest, early cabbage and young carrots were added to 
the list. 

There are days with the best of us when everything goes "dead wrong." The ninth of July was 
one such with the Railroad Farmer. Everything was dead wrong from the time he arose; when a young 
chicken having escaped from the chicken yard got into the seed-bed, that was the "dead wrongest." 
A dive for the chicken, a catch of the foot in some huckleberry roots and the Farmer lay prone. The 
knee had been wrenched and then began three months of limping and bandaging; a sad and unfortunate 
mishap in the midst of such a strenuous season. No amount of persuasion would keep him quiet 
and as the limp grew worse the children dubbed him: 
"Old Mr. Micklejohn had a leg of hickory on." 

Several days later Aunt Sophie, who had been steadily growing lazier, about decided she had 
had enough of country life, so, much to Uncle Roger's disgust, we sent them back to the city. 

"Why I's just gettin' my hand in, boss, and I likes it powerful; but Sophie she always does this 
yere way." 

Three weeks followed, in which but for Nettie's willing help I should have been in a bad way, for 
no cook could be procured. 

Cabbage louse was tormenting the life out of us, spreading day by day, from sprouts to cabbage, 
from cabbage to cauliflower, kale and kohl rabi until it seemed as though nothing would stop them. 
Their natural enemy is the ladybug's child, they help man keep the fuzzy louse down. But ladybugs 
were very scarce this year. 



Eleanor aiul 1 wen- walking,' down llu- middle roati one afternoon when a lad.vliii^' liappciioil to 
lijriil on her .sl<Mkin>r. Slif looked down and said in li<r s\v<(l liaii.v voice: 

■'Whv. yon cnnninK lliin^. do yon think I liavc apliis mi in«?" rii.ir |.,\c of !». iii^'n and ani- 
mosity toward malign insects is very slronj;. 

We tried tol>aceo tt-a for the lonse (really an apliis covered with a >;ra.\i>h iuiiry siihstanee), dry 
powdered loliaceo, shij; shot, Hordeanx, I'aris (Jreeii and land |)la^ler mixed. i)nt nolhinK' .seemed to 
affect them. Won't some jjood chemist invent somethiiif,' to kill them.' We are beginning to fe<-l 
that the soil NJioiild lie poiNoiied. for nearly all tlavsc insects come from IIk- >;round. 

We had a most delijjhtful call ahoiil the middle of .Inly from a I'liiled States forester. lie |»nt 
new heart into u.s by confirming our n.se of rnamire ami wood ashes and saying we had the finest garden 
soil he had ever .seen. 

■'.Mr. Knllertoii, if I shonid make soil with everything I conid want to do it with, I eonid not 
eipial vonr natural composition here. Man <-onld not make snch drainage, or loam in sncli ideal pro- 
portions of clay and sand as yon lia\e hen-. 1 liati no idea Long Island was such a wonderfnl spot. 
.\s for its trees I am simply carried aw.iy. Never in all my Iraxcls have I seen snch cinmps of seconti 
growth cheslnnt. If yon had told me there wj-re groii|>s of sexcii and eight all a foot tu foot and a half 
(hrongli. I woiiM not have believed yon." 

"Our trees theiiiMlves are not only woniK-rful to mc. i)nl the la.st variety is a.stonnding. Years 
iigo the sea captains brought home tri-es and shrnbs from fonign jxirts and many of them are now- 
native to the Island. I know a forest of .Ia|)an maples, swamps where magnolia trifolia grow, while 
foreign evergreens seem es|»ecially happy here," replied Mr. " Micklejohn." 

rpon further examination of cabbage and cauliflower aH'ected by blight, we fonnd in nine cases 
ont of ten root maggot had been at work. This pot is a difficult t>ne to light, bnt bisnli)hide of carbon 
injected by the root will kill them, while sMl|)hnr or wood ashes in the drill will kee|) them out. I 
must coiifos we fell better, I Would nuich ratluT light an insect than a disease any day. 

lAtln<-e was ready to come ont, it had been an interesting crop, full of failures. The majority 
of transplanted plants wi-nt up to seed. In drills tlii'y headed beautifully, teaching us the lesson 
that they must be thimied .severely and kept cultivated while young, that without irrigation during 
dry wt-ather it is u.seless to try to grow it. 

"Hut, gee whiz, it's hard to thin it enough," .said the book farmer, "I believe every seed 
sown came up." 

"Kxcuse me, Mr. Kullerlon," said Ted, "but at 'ome wf bake "alf the .seed before we plant it." 

" Hake it, what for.^" 

"So it can't come up, sir," he replied. "Then it isn't so thick." 

"(lood scln-enc, Ted, we'll just about try it next year." And the more we have planted the 
more we are (onvinced that snch things as lettuce, endive, beets, turnii)s and in fact any crop neeiling 
lliimiing should luive half the .seed "baked." 

Of all the varieties of K-ttute we tried, the "(ioldcn (^ueen" suited us best. Hrilliant in color, 
golden of heart, solid, crisp and mild flavored, while its tenderness exceeded any lettuce I have ever 
eaten. .\s the Farmer says, "Hig Hoston isn't in it." 

On a small irregular shaixd plot near the well, beans had come out as well as lettuce and the bean 
\ines had been burned sometime ago, aiithracnose was too dangerous to have around. .\ small amount 
of manure was s|)read because bciiig near the tower some soil from the well had been si)rt-ad upon it; 
this soil came from tot) great a depth to be productive. Wood ashes followed the manure, and Mike 
prepan-d the ground to receive summer radishes where the lettuce had been and summer lettuce where 
the iM-ans had been. 

.lohn drilled them in, and when the lettuce a[)pcarcd one variety K)oked more like tuniii)s than 
lettuce; further growth di.sclosed the fact it was turnip, a mixed seed from a reputable firm and tmt 
of a scaled package. Thus do<'s the farmer labor ag.'iinst great odds. 

With the exodus of .\unt So|)lii<' and Incle Roger, we were left with but three hands and crops 
coining in faster and bugs growing tlii<'ker every day. 

On the eightt-cnlh Dynamiter Kissam came again, for it had been decided to clear the remainder 
of the dairy. We had proof enough of the utter futility of the ancient method. The Dynamiter's 
appearaiK-c necessitated Italian help for him. The sprouts had grown so vigorously during the Sunnner, 
one would not have dreamed the land had been burned over last Fall. Then, too, man\ire for the 
iluiry and farm was coming, .is at this time of year it could be purchased at sixty cents a ttm. This, 
of course, had to be ludo.ided. Mike succeeded in getting two Italians, who jiroved on their arrival 
not to be .igriciilturists but .Ncapcdilans. They marched up to our wash-stand by the lower, helped 
tliem.selves to a glass of water and proceeded to 'I'hanksgi ving Cottage for dinner. 

Lime for l-'all use hail arrived, and they w<re first set to imloading it ami protecting it from rain 
storms; then into the dairy to pile stumps for D\iiamiter Kissam, who. working alone, had blown one 
hundred the first day, having prep.ared the charges the day before. The Italians went to the "Port" 
Saturday for food. Sunda> they returned rigged ont in most gorgeous style, saying as their cousin 
luid died, they were about to return to Italy. They of course struck for pay for Saturday afternoon 
(having left on the noon train) but a good dose <if Mexican S|)anish, interpreted by .Mike into Italian, 
siKUi made them understand that would not work. 

"Mike. Wire yon .ifraiil they would ilraw on you? That big fi-llow jirobably had a couple of 
knives in those hi^h boots," said the I'armer. 

■'() no. .Mr. Inller", I not afraid; I had three year Italian fencing .school. They know me." 

The ninete.iilh was marked in m.iny ways. First and foremost we j)icked the first tomato, a 
l>eantifnl large .smooth Farliest I'iiik, .uid ihe first cauliflower; both, ofconr.se, went to the Fairy (J<k1- 
father. .\ tpiantily of rhubarb wax planted, having been .sent from .some .section of Ihe road where 
improvements had extended into a West Knd markel-g.irdcn. and we packed our first "home h.impcr." 

Forye.irs the- Railroad Farmer has been convinced that llwre is a ready m.irkcl for produce shipped 



direct to the consumer. A crate or hamper filled with vcf^etables in season was his idea. He has never 
been able to persuade a farmer to try it. "Oh, it would be so much extra work," they would say. 

"Yes, but you get the extra pay," he would reply. 

"Well, I know, but I guess it wouldn't be worth while." Here at last was a chance to try the 
scheme himself. A crate holding six "four-quart" baskets was selected. The three baskets in the 
bottom contained beets, newly flug potatoes (the kind you can eat boiled in the skin) and cabbage. 
A partition over these and the toj) [hvvc coiitaiiied peas, lettuce an<l ( ucumbers in one box, young 
carrots and young onions in the lliird box. 

As a test for this package llicy were shipped to friends with the urgc-nt re(|uest for criticism. 
This criticism usually canio in llie re((Mest for more, allliough many fricntls licli)ed us with the suggestion 
that tomatoes be i)acked tight and liiat ])eas and beans be wrapped in paper as they spilled through 
the crate. 

Mike had brought his wife to cook for us. She is a delicate colored woman with some Indian 
blood in her veins. She has six children; one a baby of six months, the oldest fourteen years, and she 
is twenty-eight. She was too sick to work, therefore after having a tloctor see and prescribe for her, 
I .sent her home with strict injunctions to rest nil slu; possibly could. 

A regular cloud-ljurst occurred on tlie twenty-first with sharp lightning and heavy thunder near 
by. We dreaded lest all the corn I)e knocked flat, cs])ecially the fodder corn which was becoming, together 
with the alfalfa, the jiride of our hearts. Thank fortune little damage was done. 

The potatoes' growth was boliiering us considerai)ly. Some varieties were extremely dwarf and 
turning brown early. There was no sign of blight, which puzzled us all the more. We went into the 
field taking up hills here and there and found many of the potatoes scarred, but without any apparent 
cau.se for it. 

Finally reward came. One potato stuck full of huckleberry roots proved to our satisfaction 
that this was the cause of the scars. The "State of Maine," the last to be dug, was the first to Ijloom, 
while the "Extra Earlies" were the last to bloom. Queer things potatoes! Uncle (lideon's Quick 
Lunch suited us very well. We dug some on July twenty-third, finding them medium sized, nearly 
round, shallow-eyed flecked with carmine and a delicious "eater." At this .season forty feet yielded 
one peck. Some day all vegetables, fruits and eggs will be sold by the pound. I hope the day is not 
far distant, for that is the rational method. Weigh one dozen measly store eggs against a dozen fine 
fresh ones and you will see where the buyer would gain. The "Extra Earlies" gave a greater yield, 
but were not nearly so fine either in appearance, shape or flavor. 

Almost every day after this saw a "home hamper" going on a mission. 

Early in June or just after the bird bath had been placed, we "doctored" the lawn a little. In 
patches it was still bare, so Ted raked them over, then rolled the entire lawn. Again raking it he sowed 
more seed and rolled a second time. The sprayers were started immediately, and by the twenty- 
seventh the song of the lawn-mower was heard in the wilderness. As pretty a lawn with a goodly 
showing of white clover had been procured as many sections could .show at the end of two years. 

Mike succeeded in getting three agricultural Italians at last. One had been on the section gang, 
passing the farm every day all the season and had become much interested in it; one came from "Easter 
New Yorker," a young fellow whose father had been a farmer; while the third had been for some time 
with neighbor Tesla at his "wireless" station. Their names were Antonio Bignoni, Martino Luliccio 
and Pedro Centro. 

They made for themselves a bunk in the work shop and a cook house along the eastern fence. 
They are quiet, content, polite and faithful, and are still with us. They learn quickly, and after once 
being shown a thing can be trusted to do it alone. 

There were times when we were glad to borrow them from the dairy, for the entire farm needed 
cultivation, while picking could under no circumstances be neglected. 

For the twenty-eighth the diary says: 

"The entire farm is this day thoroughly cultivated"; and as that was Saturday, a sense of rest 
naturally pervaded the entire farm family. In fact one of the things that struck me most forcibly this 
Summer was everyone's enjoyment of Saturday afternoon after mid-summer. No picking and packing 
to attend to, just getting to rights for the Sabbath and cultivating the crops that everyone had been 
aching to get at for days. There were no Saturday half holidays ami there were no kicks. 

Rainy days were always filled clearing the barn and shops, putting together crates and doing 
indoor work, often these chores were saved for a rainy spell and many times the buildings looked neg- 
lected and uncared for, but we knew their turn would come in good season. 

At the end of July invitations went to the same "history makers" and exiierts who visited the 
farm on its first blasting day. They went in the form of a "home hamper" and a call to come and see 
the vegetables growing. August seventh was set as the date, eleven months and a tlay from their last 
visit, when they had begged us not to attempt the problem. 

A hint from the diary for August first is as follows: 

"We picked and packed one bushel of wax and three-quarters of a bushel of green pod stringless 
beans, beautiful in color and form, and so tender and brittle it was difficult to handle them." Well I 
remember tliem, for they were the first pick from the third planting and we wt-re glad that we had per- 
sisted in our efforts to grow them fr(;e from disease. 

That same day we had a flying visit from a member of the New York City Board of Education. 
He came, he said, because he could not credit the stories he had heard of such marvelous development 
in so short a time. He frankly confes.sed as he went over the farm that it was almost beyond the 
powers of conception to realize that eleven months before the place was in its primeval state. 

And truly it was a sight during August. Such wealth of growth, such a variety of vegetation one 
seldom sees. 

A three days' rain from the northeast in the first part of tliis month gave us opportunity of doing 
many small indoor jobs. Seed boxes were maile, more crates put together, engine room straightened 



i.ul. l>jiskrls piled ami l»rl\v<'<-ii showtTs wire |>ul up fur Iwrry ;in<l j.'r;ipc vines. Hut at tlir iikI df the 
(liinl (lay " Mike ciiltiNalctl tlic |>fa patcli on acre iiiiiiiIxt tliDM-. John drilli-il in r<-<| top ami AlMTil('<-n 
turnips, 'IVil rut tin- lawn ami triiniM<'<l up lionlcrs," wliiili sliows what a truly rcinarkaMc soil this is. 
Thf sixth was spent in preparing; for the morrow's (ii^tiii^iuislied \isilors. The day Iteinj; clear 
they wen' to feast in tiie open upon the farm's products. Ted also drilic'd in some .•.pinach helweeii the 
rows of corn on acn- niimiier two, the "inl<'nsiv«' plot." This was liie fourth crop on this lan<l in one 
year witliout fertilization. "Tiierc's many a slip 'Iwixt the cup and lip." however, and county fairs 
claimed our attention to such an <xtent during' Scptemix-r that this foiirlli croj) did hut fairly well 
during the six wc«'ks' drou>;ht of this Fall. 

The .s«'ventli wa.s "niaile a piir|)ose for ns." Warm, west wind, overcast, just the day to make 
«ity chaine<l men f;la<! to he in tlie <'ountry. Our quests arriv<>d at noon; a short 'survey of tlu- farm 
from the hou.se |)lot and they sat <l<)wn to dinner on the lawn hy the fountain umler the shaile of our 
n-.M lied trees. I fi'wr you pictorially the menu and I can assure you 1 never saw men enjoy a meal 
iiiore. Ten v«'>;etahl«'s, nil from the land they had heeii afraid to have us ^i> inl(» a few months hefore. 
If I may take you with us a>;ain after dinner on a tour of the farm I will try to show you what 
they heheld. " ' 

The lawn more heaulifiil than ever, while oxalis in hlooin ahout tlu- trees, roses, sweet peas and 
colxM-as and other \ ines climhinj; upon the fence, jiorcli and tower; f^ladiolus in clumps and the nastur- 
tium nM)t pile a hia/.e of >;orf;eoiis hlossoms. Hulhous hogonias in riotous hloom o|)j)osite the tank 
tower and outdoor wash-stand where "root anth-r.s" .serve as a towel rack, j)ast the house and Ciovern- 
iiu-nt plot to tln' turn in the drive. Aloufj; the chi<ken yard fence ri<h red gladioli are in their prime, 
atlraitinn a fhxk of humming hirds. while the vegetahle (lower garden shows scarlet runners, cardoon 
of tropical growth, and peppers that I douht can he excelled anvwhero, and borage, self-sown, in hlouin 
of hlue. 

The summer railishes an<l lettuce are thriving remarkahly, while corn is in tiissol hesidc the 
cottages. 

Heets with their rich foilage, erratic onions (which, hy the wa.v, several were delighted to Iielp 
themselves to) and cahhage. I>et us pause here a moment. Mike had hrought one in during diiuier 
measuring with its leaves still on, forty-two inches in diamet<'r. The exclamation arose, "How did you 
do it, I'ullerton? Vou certainly must have set up nights with that fellow!" 

"There arc plenty more in the field," lie replied, hut they were hardl.\ convinced. 
Here hefore us is a patcli containing many of equal size, while the entire growth is way above the 
average. 

"My goodness, how did you raise those melons?" broke from one of lln' part,\-. "I never saw 
such a set in my life. I'm coming out again when they're ripe." 

"The prophecy is thi-y will not be sweet, because the soil is a little heavy," said the "show 
guide." " IJut if there are any good I see our finish trying to pick and shij) them." 
"You'll have your hands full, all right," they n'i)lied. 

Potatoes, carrots, beans, peas, parsnips, cauliflower, salsify, sprouts, all on the way to the d.iiry, 
c.'dled forth applause. 

" lly jingo. Fullerlon, that's afalfa. isn't it?" exclaimed one who is considered one of the best 
.ifalfa experts in the I'nitcd States. " ^'ou don't mean to tell me you |)lanled that this year." 
" ^ fs, sir, the first day of June. AVhat do you think of it?" the farmer asked. 
"Think of it! Why it's the best I have ever seen, no matter of what age. Why. man alive, 
that's here to stay and the bacteria are at work all right, all right." "(iolly. this part," as we walked 
toward till' top dressed quarter, "knocks the slulfiii' out of anything else I have ever seen. Mow 
dill you do it?" 

"Had the .soil alkali." rei)lied the hook farmer, "and we didn't guess about it either, wc to«ik 
a very small pi«'<'e of litmus p.ipcr and a handful of soil and found out." 

"Well. sir. you've done the best and biggest thing that has been done for the Kastern Stsites 
in many a year," rejilied another. 

Here to tlie left is teosinte, a new crop to some of them and one that called forth much admiration. 
Its broad leaves, shortness of stalk ami luxuriant growth api)ealcd to any man interested in silage. 

.\nd the millet, which had been a light green sea of beauty all the season was now shouhler high 
and blossoming with a soft long brown "hiill-riish-like" tassel. This (ield showed more plainly than 
any other spot on the whole cleared acreage, where the bonfires had been; not only diti it show the 
effcj-ts of the ashes in height, but in density of color. 

The field of fodder crorn calls for further exclamations. 

" l''ullerton, that's the Ix'st corn I've seen this season." said one guest, who travels much in the 
iiili-nvst of agriculture. "What did you leave so many stalks to the hill for?" 

"This was |)laiited for fodder, old man, but 'I'cnnsy millions' failed to buy us time enough to 
it a silo up in which to put it, .so I had to let it grow," an.swered the Senior Partner. 
"That sorghum is no sloiuh either," replied another. 

"(lee whillican-s!" exclaimed a third, "where did you get this?" as we oaiiie to the Virginia horse 
t<M)th. "Man alive you must think this is Kentuiky. How high do you suppose that is?" as he went 
up to niea-surc it. 

".\ iftKx] twelve feet," said one, "you're a i>ean pole yourself and yun look like an infant in there." 
'Man iangtingc is often more forceful than complimentary). 

"\Vlial will that he when it's done? Wliy this is only early August, it has another good two 
ri-riths yet," .s.ii 1 a third. 

'Ue'ri' hoping for .sixteen feet and to he able to mature it." .said 1. 

" \Nell, you have a record now," was the reply, "no matter what happens to it in the future" 
''Dynamiter Kiii.sain is working here and li<''ll blow a few stumps and .some trees for you if you 
*ant." .Miid the farmer. "There's a g(»od big chestnut six feet through and he will blow it by battery." 



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The Menu 



"nil. pliiiM- iiiayn't I?" I (XtlaiiiH-.l. ami \v(»miiiilikc, I lia.l my way. My lint it was a "lK'aiil> 
l.low '* (Ihafs It'cliniral). Slu- came out cK-aii, aiul piwos wiiil way ovir iiilo llit- rom. 

"Wc'n- p)iiin l<> takr out soino of tin-so piiu's, wo want a ft-w as shadi- aptdony for tin- cattj.' 
l)Ul tlifsr tlinv oxtcinl too far oast." 

"An- voii n'a<ly. Cliarh-s?" lie i-alK-il. 

"Kirri" caiiu- llir reply ami twelve feel up into llie air Hew tin- tree, root ami all, ami falling; splil 

llirouuli the center. i ,• n , 

"Tliere VOII are," said lln- wise one. "land cleared ami wood split all for ten cents. 

"How iiiiuli dynamite did it take.^" askeil one. 

".\ half a poiiiid." was th<- n-ply. "and time eniMinh to allix the cai) and charge the stiiinp." 

".Vre von H"''"K •" clear iiiinil>er two the same way, Mr. Fnllertoiii'" aske<l on<- >;iiest. 

"Ten aires are cleared, the dynamiter has just come over from there," he'rejilied. 

"How many aen-s hav<- yon in that jjiece!-'" 

"Ki^'htv. It was the smallest we could huy. Ten of it will lie markel-f,'ard<'n ami for the- .seveiil> 
we are considering' a plan to reforest ami ^row railro.id tiiiilMr. .\ thirty-foot (ire strip to i-he<-k I' ' 
animal liiirn-over permitted hy tlioiif,'hlle>s or careless owners, will he cleared all around it ami tip 
we will >;row corn and siieh crops to pay for the clearing. Then all K""'d specimens of oak and cIm 
nuts and enough piiicN and umlerlirush to >,'ive forest environment will he left. We think of plaiitim: 
Kiiropean larch, ami will hlow a hole to j)lanl them in. Of course these trees want a prote<tion <>( 
iinderfirowth just as all forest tn-es re(|uire, so we will do no ('learinf;," saiil the farmer. 

"What do you mean liy hlowinj; a hole, Mr. Fullcrton?" 

" Whv it struck me one day it would hcaj,' 1 sijilit easier aiirl cheaper to l»low a ImK- with a eh,n . 

of dvnamite than try to dij; one in that m<-ss of undert,'rowth ami roots, so Charlie and 1 went over ii 
the wimmIs yonder and inserted a (juarter of a pound at a forty-live deforce an;,'le ahoiil tw(» feel ltd 
the surface". She tore ii)) a hole two and a half to three feel in di.imeler. leaving perfectly pulvcri. 
.soil fiillv tw.i feet deej) in which to plant a tree. By pulliiif,' the charjre in a little Hatter we seciii. 
even l»"ller results. With a helper Kissain <an make 'iM) holes a day at a cost of $14.14. Wc tliiala 
IMa<k .liidson powder would do just as well and would reduce the cost to .$1(J.88 per -ZM holes." 

"(ireat head!" was the rejily. 

lleturninn from the dairy wc go south along the division fence where we can see the cowp' 
making a hrave struggle among the s|)rouls and ferns of an uncleared section. The sugar heets an i 
mangels are making line growth, while the sweet potatoes delight the h<arls of Southerners and 
Westerners. Sunflowers, two long rows of them, which John and Mike had |)lanled <|uickly one day, 
making a (U-nt with the heel, droiiping the seed and pressing the earth over with the toe, were thriving' 
well. Astonishment at them was exliihited until we spoke of the use of the seed as poultry food, when 
it was thoroughly understood. 

Now we come to the pride of our hearts, our own caiiUflower, .sprouts and cabbage seedlings, 
fields as fair as man <an look upon, |)laiits stocky and vigorous enough to make one feel certain <f 
"big returns." 

Squash and cucumbers in profusion, while corn just bearing, ami limas filling rapidly, brings us 
to the orchard with its luxuriant tree growth and tomato vines hulen with fruit and every inch of spar* 
space covered with crim.son clover to be plowed under in the Spring for green manure; berry vine-, 
asparagus, rhub.irb, red carrots from China lasted as a rare treat and found as sweet as a par.sni|>, 
and we arc again back to the e.isl of the house, where the tiny ever-blooming ro.ses are making a good 
headway. 

Down into tlie cellar wc u.sher our guests, where the transverse section of the .soil calls forth freslil 
exclamations of delight and w<inder, and the bushels of vegetables prove th.it this is a inarket-gardeili 
competing with and foning recognition from the world at large. 

.\ ilrive through the Ix-autiful old village of Wading River and up to the depot, where the Farmer' 
accompanied his guests a portion of the way back to the city's turmoil, ended for these gentlemen 
what I am sure was a nni<|Ue day. 

|{eturning at eventide the Senior Partner brought with him a doubtful one, a Congressman of! 
go<Ml Quaker discenl and a thorough believer in and earnest worker for Long I.sland, but " rullerlon's! 
farm stories are too big to believe," he said. 

"S<'eing is believing," and his tour of the farm drew from him a frank and deligliled ackiiowledg- 
im-nt that we had "i)rodneed the goods," and, like our visitor of a few hours earlier, he i)romiuiiced thel 
alfalfa, "tin- fincvst I have ever seen and I raise it in Kansas luy.self." 

The early potatoes having been dug, Mik<- sjjread some iinie upon the |)atch, harrowing it in and' 
preparing it .iftcr our usual maimer, ready to re<-eivc s|)inach. Though .\ugust is early for jjlanting this 
<rop, wc felt the irrigation plant would give us good aid. 

For the eighth the diary .says: 

"I'acked two cr.ites fancy tomatoes, two home hampers, two bushels of lima beans, ten do/- 
earn of corn, and two luirn-ls of cabbagi-." _ , 

That may .souikI siiiiph- to th*- uninitiated, but in reality it means sorting IIk- tomatoes, n'j«H'tini?l 
all that are not perfect «'ither in shape or otherwise, polishing the good ones, packing th«'m in "fun 
(piart" baskets six baskets to a crati". 'I'he hampers called for early potatoes sorted and wash. 
Iii'<t.s wiished and the tops >lightly trimmed, beans packed with parallincd papi-r to prevent spilling, 
cabbage trimmed and thoroughly washeil, loinaloes polished, carrot- ami onions cleansed ami trimme<l. 
|{ean.s are slow to j)ick ami like peas deser\'c to bring a high price in the markets. Corn was .sorted 
and |)acked in a crate, while all cabbages w«Te thoroughly sprayed. Such was the packing recpiircil t>f 
NumlicrOne for the lalx-l that goes on our packages we wish .synonymous with "llic best that can 

be pnKluceil." 

.\.H an illustralioi) of wlial a man can do in u day, the following from the ninth is fair: 

"Mike Bordeaiixed and I'aris (irecned all melons, sprouts, early cauliflower and cabbage, also 




>'J £ 



cultivutiHl nearly all of acres ei(,'lit iiml nine" Mikr also liail cut ire care of the liorses and was our 
chief lielp in tin- packing. 

For (lays llic wcatluT had heen overcast, hot and moist, trno holhonsc weather. The morning; of 
the tenth it seemed as thou^di our entire hopt-s were to he hlasted. I think I can fjive you nothinc 
more vivi<l than the report the over-wrought Senior Partner sent that day to Mr. Peters: 

(tcinral Conditions on Experiment Station N'umher One, .Xujjust 10, 1900. 
'■.Mr. Halpii Peters. Prcs.. Louk Island City. 

"Dear .Sir: -Tin- weather comiitions prcvailinn throughout this the first year of llie Long Island 
Hailroad K.\perim«iital Station Numher Otie have certainly heen abnormal and lately the astounding 
change in vegotaMc growth, showing in a most marked manner prol>al)ly l>c<'ause of one day's ah.sence 
caused l»y hospital visit on account of my hall and socket joint knee, made mc feel that details should 
Ik- riH-orded for your log hook of Numl)<'r Oiu-. 

■"riie Might imported with ccK-riac from l)ig conuucrcial |)Iaiil growers has extended to fine, 
healthy cauliflowers, S'limixT One. grown from seed. In spite of almo>t daily personal attention and 
care there is hardly a li<;id of eitii<T cai)l)agi' or ciuiiflower planted on acre iiumlier one in the iiome 
plot, in order to kec|> it midcr continual oiiscrvation. that docs not show aiiylliing from slight injury to 
absolute «lcstruction from tiiis very serious imported hlight. The long continuing overcast Turkish- 
hath wi'ather has sent the shallots into a wceily-like growth reseml)ling closely marsh grass etfeet. 
Peppers jire apj)arently tlu- only things that are truly ha])i)y. Summi-r lettuce lately j)lanted is making 
a weedy growth, with the cxce|)tion of one variety which came up turnips, a mixture I understand 
skilfully concocted l>y a discharged foreman of one of our .\merican seedsmen wlio carricil out exactly 
the .same methods of revenge ]iursuc(l hy a supcrinltMident of a (icrman house who succeeded in absolute- 
ly ilestroying all landscape gardening effects in Hurope and America where nasturtiums were part of 
the color scheme. N'arious summer radishes lately j)lanted look more like foilage plants than vegetables. 
( orn, of <'onrse, is supremely liapi)y. In the cabbage patch acre number two im|)ortcd plants, the growth 
of black rot and fuzzy cabi)age louse is far superior in vigor to the cal)i)age plant itself. Our splendid 
stand of kohl-rabi has been infected from the cabbage just east of it through the medium of our fre- 
quently prevailing northeast winds. In order to .save them, we shall ship all we have at once. The 
finest lot of kale that I have cvi-r .seen even about Long Island City has also been atfected by im|)orted 
bla<'k rot and louse .so that it nuist be cut and shi|)ped immediately in order to pull out all we can. 
TIk' carrots, both first anil .second |)lanting. are paying ijcautifuUy. The shell beans, although as erratic 
in growth and set as elsewhere according to reports throughout the l'nit<'d States, show freedom from 
anfhracnose and other l>lights, i)L'cause of continual and early use of Bordeaux. Turnips planted July 
twentieth appi-ar to be in line condition. Salsify ami scorzonera show up superbly. The ti])s of the 
sjilsify leaves are shrivelled and black an<l occasionally the .same effect is seen in the scorzonera, a 
normal peculiarity. The frost touched golden bantam and peep-o'-day corn is making up for lost 
time, many of the stalks riimiing three and four ears on main and side shoots. Brussels s])routs planted 
among this <-orn show up best of all plantings. Parsnips sui)reniely hapjn-, and sugar beets ditto. 
Turnii)s (»f .\ugust fourth show in even and very nearly straight rows. Sprouts in acre number six 
are in s[)ots badly affected by the louse. Cauliflower, home grown, which was in fine shape, atfi-ctcd 
badly i)y im|)orti(l blight. Potatoes show same erratic browning, which is strikingly prevalent in 
every .section of Long Island and I should judge throughout the I'nited Stat<'s from reports in the 
papers. Beans on acre nund)er tlirec would lie fine specimens in the best bean season ever known. 
This beyonil qu<-stion entirely due to Bordeaux ap|)lied as soon as plants appeared. Onions planted 
June thirteenth on acre number three show that ground is in far from i)roj)er condition to suit onion 
germination and growth. The same erratic showing of rows is here that was found in the first planting 
niade on acre nund>er two. The cabbage .set out in acre number three has done marvelously well, 
yielding a very large percentage of not only marketable but very large .solid heads. First planting of 
onions still reminds one very much of a shave with a dull razor. The beets, because late germination-, 
have somewhat ea light up and t raMN[)lan tings have helped out broken rows, are growing thriftily an<l look 
.somewhat likt; a well kept m.irket-gardi'ii. Turnips planted on acre number two were superb tin- da\ 
iM'fore yesterday; t«)-day leaf and even bulb have rotti-d so badly that in appearance and stench tli. 
showing is awful. Kndive for the first time is making beautiful growth and promise for croj) is excellent 

" Melons I hardly dare speak of, for fear they will have the blight. Tlie acre is the most beautiful 
patili I have ev<'r seen and I came from a nn-lon country. The set is superb, the bees are marvelously 
thick and the melons are filling out large and shap<-ly. The assorted blightetl and mc.isly celery plant- 
have at last .secured enough vigor through copious doses of wood ashes. Long Island fertility, dilutecl 
sidt water coming to ii- in the form of fog. to show considcrabli- promise. The very best of the bunch, 
however, is goldi-n self-blaiicliiiig, raised in nimibcr one's .seed-bed. 

"In our vegetable flower garden, |)eppers, are as elsewhere, superb both in leaf and fruit. The 
eardiMtn shows lu-re an<l there leaf blight, but makes up in i)art by a mimber of good sized binls. .s;<arlel 
runner i.s growing luxuriantly with no sign of vegetable enemy. On the I niled States (;ovcrnm«'iil 
plot both haricot beans and lawn are in fine shape. The s«|uash and i)inupkin samples near hou- 
plot we have api)arenlly .sjived in part froni the ravages of the brood of the small striped beetle, w li- 
do not s«-.in to keep ahead of the special brand of iiilporled blight. Cclcriac and (.•Icry look like ;i 
convahscent - home. In the orchard, acre number four, tin- trees are making superb growth. Crimson 
clover well m^U eovers bare plac<'s. Tomato plants are most dishcarleiiing. Ix'sides the loss of at l<-ast 
eighty-five per eeiit. of the .set crop, the wet weather i- lotting the plant it-elf so that from the present 
outliK>k ninety ].er <ent. total lo.ss is probably nearer to fair st.itcmcnt. The yellow raspberries from 
which we even hail a small yield are «lying rapidly. Will end.avor to <liscover "cause. Pcamits 'all I 
the merry.' For some reason liinas look particularly thrifty, r<-asoii unknown; they should be tolall} 
or nearly d.slroyed by mildew. Corn on acre .sev«'n sup«Tb. in silk, in growth, in la.ssci and haf. 
Larly cueiimlKT.-t' wa.son about done; yield and fri-edom from disease first rate. S(|uaslies of all v.irietie^ 
have done particularly well and still making fine fruit. Turnips sown July twenty-ninth spK-ndid 




> '\ 



if-/ ' 







} 






i 



,jl^ ...,.i^f 




'Home Hamper" fillers 



? 

IjiI«' loinaliM's an- lioMin;; up well. K^milaiits willi tlic aid of a larp" assort iiifiit c»t IiiiiiiIiIcIm-cs. an 
•wMtlin^' rfiiiarkal>ly well. Soiiu" of tin- lal«- lomaloi-s arc a|)parfiilly k»'c|)iiif{ in style liy rotting; fron 
the proiintl u|). 

"\\v lifo partiiors have in pnn^ ovt-r acres «'if;lit, nine and ton inil>i))od a voj;ftal)le mint-julip cm 
rocktnil acconlinf; to one's early environment, llie late eal)l>af»«'s, red, curly-leafed and rcfjiilnr; tin 
MriisM'ls sprouts, and tlie late ( auiitlower. wliich are as niajcniliccul as anyone could possihiy see 
(K'casioiudly there is an atfcclcd leaf, wliicli to us sliows tlial the spores from the importcil plants liavi 
Ixfn wafted their way. nord<MUX has done well, l)Ut \\r are taking no chances nor omitliuf; any pie 
cautions whatever, and to-day all hands arc pickiuf; infected leaves. The sweet potatoes remind mt 
of l/oveland. Ohio; num- cannot he said. Two rows of sunflowers planted for the henefit of the f<>athprp<i '' 
stixk fio billowing across the field sliowini; plainly where the stumps were hurned l.ist year. The 
S4Miked supar-heets have at last altout cau>;lit up with the unso.ikcd rows. The test mannrjs are doiim' 
splendidly. The Maik Mexican su^'ar corn is in l.issei. and sliowiri),' up well. Second planting' of eariy 
corn all well and maile ipiite an even staml throughout. In si>ite of fre(|uent showers and <lownpourN, 
we have certainly deiut >nst r.it cd the ne<-essity for frc(|nent a|)i)li< at ions of flm^'icides and insect icides. 
and that it uu(|uestional>ly pa\ s to use l>oth llirouf,'li the Ncry earliest pcrioil of plant j;rowth. Tin- 
nwt'.ssity for a sprayman even on a market-Rarden of only ten acres is ])roven conclusively and nc 
year if you approve, one man will he assipned solely to this work, with instructions to kee[) up an endli 
ronml in a methodical manner, .so that no plot may be overlooked and further to he careful to make 
a .spraying tour directly after a storm. Have had a jjarlicularly pood man to handle this part of the • 
work, liut till- setting out and cultivation many times forced us to leave alone plots showing up thriftily 
and without si^ns of coming,' disaster. It was most unfortunate that we were uii;d>le. Iiccause of a preat 
di-al of new work to he done which will not need tlioUfilil next year or labor, to raise every plant f'-- 
Number One. We iiu|)orled a pri-at nu|uber of insects in \arious forms and cerlaiidy two of the um 
• lanp-rous ami rare lili>;lits and fuufjous fjrowths and undoubtedly others of lesser moment. One lliii 
we shall ur>;c most stroiif^ly in pamphlet, which is now well alonj;. is that nothing; be planted in this uiw 
gromid but the Ix-sl of s<-ed from strictly reliable firms and that under no circumstances should plant- 
lie .se<ured from outside territory. From the very first we have feared introduction of pest and for tli 
n'ason took extraordinary |)recaution with two varieties of potatoes we re<-eived showing; a mysteriou 
impossible to locate, disease which cau.setl us to destroy a very large number of them. — Yours tnil 
If. H. FulliTton, Special .\jient." 

The day brouj^ht us however, a cook; a woman with a Ihrec-ycar-old child who came through t! 
.Simshine Six-iely. 

Till- stri|)ed beetle were a.s thick upon the melon.s as though it was not time for them to ha 
di.sjippeared for the .season. They are the most difficult things to kill one can find, while their \()m: 
an* till- terror of all ganlencrs. These beetles lay their eggs just under the soil, the young, a worm, hot 
into the stem of the vine and promptly kills it. The melons were sprayed way beyond the time that 
i.s considered safe, in order to kill the beetle if possible, but nothing seemed to avail. 

On the eleventh, Mr. I'ltcrs came, his heart seemed wrap|)ed up in that melon field, he .spin! 
each large melon, t.'i|>ping and testing it to see if he could not find one ri])c. 

".Mr. l'"ullcrton, try different insecticides around some of the \ines about the roots and let's si.- 
if wi- cannot save them. My, it would be a shame to lose that melon field." he .said. So we made tl 
following applications. Going .-cross the field from east to west and taking three rows at a time, tir- 
brought each test upon each variety of melon. 

1st three rows lime an<l tobacco stems steeped. 

iind three rows tobacco stems steeped. 

.'Jrd three rows slug shot. 

4th three rows ashes anri kairiit. 

.ith three rows lime. 

This was pliic<'d immcdialel\' aboiil tlic roots. None of llicni showed marked results and tli'' 
beetle tried harder than ever to gel inside the melons tlu'Uiselvcs. 

That night we hail rose China ra<lislies for supper, twenty-six days after planting the seed. 

On Monday, the thirteenth, the day and date being propitious. John was .sent out to mow I' 
alfalfa. It was twenty-six inches high and in full bloom, .\fter it was cut (and John .said it w 
pretty heavy), all wci-ds, roots, etc., were |)icked from it before weighing, that the figures might 
exact. It was weighed green. The weights are as follows: 

Niirtlira^l qiiiirt.r («.il top <lrrs«<l) IC.TH llw. 

N<irltiwc«l i|iiiirl<T (iiniiiiiniliili-il ) "•ifi llw. 

.SyillliriMl ciiiiirliT (•(ii-d iiincilliilcil) 41(1 lli-i. 

S<nittiwp!it <|iiiirt(-r (luil nnH src<l iiiorulalrH) '. S77 llw. 



Total 3UH il.». 

Next it was spn-acl, arul the day being overcast but not foreboding rain it was allowed to reniani 
until nightfall, when it was raked into windrows. The next morning early it was spread, jind in an hour 
Iwing dry but not craekly, was lied into bales of aiiout twenty-five ixiunds" weight and taken to |1 
jmrn. Here it wa.s weighwl again. 

Nortli.int niiartir (noil top <lrc.H»(iJ) Till \\,s. 

Norltiwi-t .|iiiirlir fiinin<Kiiliilril) Sl:l lli«. 

.'viiilliijul <iimrlrr (icrtl inoculnlcil) IS!) Ili^i. 

.^•ultiwrnt ciuarUr (»ocd and loil ino<uliiti'«l) 1«H jliii. 



T..iiJ 1.S71 lliH. 

It it eun>«l III pi rfeelion, \\\r leaves renuiiuing on while the stem is .still green. Horse Te\ 
>sill almost bn^ak his harness to gi I noiih-, while Muckeyj- disdains even to notice it. 

t'prn ^saa now a ilaily diet in our liou.sehold. Of course we tried every variety of everylhii 

a* 




Fine Tobacco at both No. 1 aim .No. t 



prown. hut iiotliinR nms.-il su<li a Imwl to he .s«-l u\^ as tlic non-appparance of golden haiitain Cit 
It was ahsolulfly usdcss to put any olIuT varit'ly on tin- table as U)nK as lliis littlf giMii lasted. 

In the Senior Partner's j>lira.seolony, "it's the earliest, ugliest, smallest, sweetest corn that grov 
If you onee taste it you won't want any t>ther." "I'is extremely yellow, therefore not popular wiHi 
tradesmen, hut a deeideilly good crop for home hampers. 

Italians were .sent into tlie tomatoes to j)iik every morning now. for it requireil two and som.M 
times three of us a good part of the day packing \ari<nis pHxliicls. Many u morning I hey have Ijrougl.t 
in lift«'en to eighteen linsliels of tomatoes, while cahliage, radishes, lettuce, kale, kohl-rabi, carrots, 
rgg|>lant. corn and lieans, kept all iiamls i)n'tty busy. 

We were informed by one of our lluiiliiigton neighbors tiiat a little excursion had been planned 
from that point to the Farm for the (ifleenth. (dad we were t(. hear it, for wc were anxious to have 
more peo|)le si-e and Ix-lieve the stories of the wonderful growth. For th<'ir l)eriefit we had arrangiii 
part of the day's j)iek on the front porch an<l it made a very good "agricultural exhibit" incl^diiif; 
corn, eggplant, green anil wax beans, ])ole and i)usii limas, sipiash, vegetal)!*- marrow, four varieties of 
tomattx's, (|>ink, retl. large and small yellowsl cauliflower, one cabbage weighing when stripped for mar- 
ket, fifteen |)ounds. beets, <arrots, onions, and jx-ppers. 

The Farmer was particularly anxious to see the assistant postmaster and for a greeting ha'l 
arranged a large |)erf<'ct eggj)lant in a peck basket and carried it imder his arm to present to him as lie 
alighted from the train. The eggplant lover did not come, but a kinil neiglii)or Ciirrierl it home to him 
and he afterward said to me: 

"It's all right, Mrs. Fullerlcm, 1 didn't think the 'Scjuirc' could raise llitiii, but that was tlifr 
best I ever ate." 

"We had plenty of bees," I responded; "they are an abs(»lute necessity where eggi>lant is 
attem|>ted.'* 

The "bees" remind me of everyone's query when they saw the "weather bureau" (where tlie 
ma,ximuni and minimum thermometers are housed). "O, do you keep bees?" 

"Yes, but not tame ones, we coaxed Ihcm by strong colored flowers. They come for them and 
are daily visitors. We intended having a hive but have not come to it yet. Still our honey friends 
have done all the work necessary," wc would reply. 

For some time the children declared, "we took the weather out" every morning when the ther- 
mometers were read. 

The "little birthday excursion" (for it was the Farmer's birthday) numbered ninety-four and 
wc felt as though the good news would travel far when they left the farm. 

I was showing friends over the j)lace and ex|)laining operations how this crop was the second 
on that groimd, that, the third; explaining how it was all done with no commercial fertilizer and but 
little help. We came to the dairy where we met an old man who had preceded us; he was returning 
from reviewing the fodder corn, and I said: 

"Well, what do you think of it.^" .\nd of course I was swelling with pride. 

"Humph!" he replied. "I don't think much of that there corn; it ain't got no cars." .Vnd - 
he was referring to sorghum, I could but be amused, as sorghum bears its seeds on its tassel. 

"This here's that there new thing they call alfalfy, ain't it?" he asked. 

"No, sir," I replied, "that is Jai)anese millet; but this is alfalfa," as I showed it to him. 

"Japanese millet! We di<ln't raise them new fangled things in my day. I suppose you tiiink 
this here corn is good too, but d ain't got no ears neither," he said. 

"But that's not corn," I remonstrated, "it's tcosinte, a grass, and comes from Mexico." 

But "a man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still," and he went away muttering 
to himself. 

Our otlier guests were fully satisfied tliat no one had drawn the "long Ijow" in regard to the 
crops, and fresh vegetables from Experimental Station Number One became very popular in Huntington 
after that. 

Our visitors drove to the beautiful Sound beach, (it shouhl be famous as it belongs to the tillagr f 
Wading Uiverj where they ate their j)icnic dinners, and on returning to the train, found the car det 1 
with armsful of exipiisite ghulioli, a gift from Wading Jiiver's famous grower of this gorgeous How 

Ted had been mowing millet all day. It fell in a golden wake behind the scythe, making as pr< 
a picture as one cf)uld wish to see. What satisfies us to the very core of our beings more than ! 
harvest? Nothing. 

Spinach j)latited where the early potatoes came out was up in seven days and immediately irrigated] 
to hasten its growth. 

The se<Tel of ,ill leaf crops is the rapidity with which they grow and nothing can further them ni 
than water coupleil with cultivation. Endive needed a little of this medicine, the sprayers were turn >. 
into this field. 

Young carrots were .somewhat in demand in the market in mid-.\ugust, so we decidctl to dig : I'' 
of the early planting and ship them. The second jjlanling was by this time providing for home ham|ii 
John look the wheelbarrow an<l fork and went out to the field, he .soon returned with the barrow full 
overflowing. A .second, a third and a fourth came by and it .seemed as tiiough there could not b< 
many carrots in all the world. They weri' biken to the packing shed, which, by the way, was a %■ 
quickly improvised affair. 'J'ime did !iot give us a chance to buihl an ideal one, so a strip of (luarter-in 
nie.sh galvani/r-d wire was t-icked to the n-ar of the barn, slnlclied out to the north and fastened to soi 
.stakes drivi-n into the ground. 'J'he wire was turned up at the edges and allowed to sag slightly in i 
center; this admitted of a good many vegetables iieiiig plated in it at once, while the spray from the li' 
of rours*' ran right through. As a protection from the drip underneath some old boards wert^ phi' 
in front of tin drain; a table made of old boards (some .second-hand stufT left from the barn) laiil up 
boxes, made the pa<king table, while an old sail cloth fastened up among the trees with rope nuide y. 
enough shade. 



^f^ 




Sea Kale — earlier than asparagus 



\ .M 




Willi loof Chieory of Barlie-de-Capiieliin— The Kamuiis Sala.i 




Venetian Squash — tiiiest of all squashes 




mi^i 



IVIiko washed and Joliii hiinclicd. Tlicy were sorted into two sizes and |)iled ii[»nii llie table. 
Yuiing earrols are sold wilii the leaves on, and nothing eonld have heen |)rettier than that tal)le Uulened 
with orange and green. 335 bunches, twelve carrots to a bunch, was the final count; while added to 
that 173 bundles of pink, white, yellow and black radishes made a fair shipment of root crops for one day. 

This plot of carrots covered a space of ground forty-six by sixty-seven feet and yielded, all told, 
485 bunches or 5,820 perfect carrots. 

I think August twenty-second a good representative day of wt)rk at this season. I give it to you 
straight from the diary: 

"Ted finished cultivating celery and celeriac (we also put some IJonora, which had been sent us 
by a good friend with an earnest petition tiiat we try it, upon the celery) in dynamite swale, weeded 
and cullivared all l)crries, Udo and peanuts. Mike and IVdro limed the patches where early cabbage, 
kale and koiil-ral)i had come out. sowing 400 pounds. They also sowed 150 ])ounds Canada wood a.shes 
on the alfalfa, and (iOO pounds old rotted manure on the southwest and southeast quarters (these quarters 
had given the smallest yield), Pedro and Martin i)i(ke(l tomatoes for two hours, Tony all day spraying 
cauliflowers, cabbage and sprouts with Bordeaux and Paris (ireen. 

"Sorted, washetl and packed twelve crates tomatoes (l.'-iOO), three barrels corn (G50 ears), one 
crate corn (7"2 ears), one basket summer squash (3(5), one basket of cucumbers (00). 

"John finished making crates. Ted cleared out the barn and stacked empty crates ov^er the shower 
bath-room. 

"John and Mike jiicked and pack(>d the corn in two hours, brought in two bushels and one wheel- 
barrow load of squash in forty minutes." 

1 might insert here the "crate incident." On the seventeenth day of July a half car-load of packages 
in "knock down" shape arrived, they were stacked up by the barn and everyone except Mike exclaimed: 

" Where do you intend to store them all winter; they will last a couple of years." 

"() no, Mr. Fuller', you need more than him this year," Mike .said, "I know you wait till cabbage 
and Hruss' sprout' ready." 

"Why, Mike, we'll never fill those in the world," I said. 

"You wait see, Mes Fuller'." 

He was right, many a message has gone forth this summer "for goodness sake rush packages as 
much as you can, crops are spoiling for want of them." But many barrels alas, are lying empty! 

Kale had been shipped two days previously, the plot thirty-one by thirty-nine feet yielded 355 
heads, the last shipment filling three barrels. The kohl-rabi, from seed from North China, yielded 14-1 
' roots and the space occupied by them after being set out was thirty-one by fourteen feet. These "rabis" 
differed in no way from the kind usually raised here as far as we could see. 

The night of the twenty-second it stormed, so the Italians were sent over the cabbage, cauliflower 
I and sprouts again the next day. In fact it .seemed that a spraying day was invariably followed by rain. 
I There were times when "Fullerton luck" did not hold good. 

/ Endive was tied up when thoroughly dry, this must never be done when the plants ar damp for 

it is intensely susceptible to rot. The field was the quaintest "Dutchest" thing imaginable when the 
I men were through. 

i "Fullerton luck" brought a thunder storm the next night so there was nothing to do but spray 

I again the following day. We went to the field in the early morning as was our habit and the sight that 
I met us w as enough to make the heart sick, leavfes turned black and yellow with blight insects so thick they 
j positively looked crowded. 

"What shall we do?" we exclaimed, "the pride of our hearts and the portion to bring in the great- 
est returns going before our eyes ! It surely cannot be our fault, or from any neglect." 

"Mes Fuller'," said Mike, "about every five year, the cauliflower he go so, you can't save him, 
I know, I grow him many year." 

"Should we have sprayed more Mike.'" I asked. 

"Mah gah, Mes Fuller' we pass this field about eight times already and two times be enough. 
This year, you can't help him," he replied. 

"Well, if this is the year we have him for fair," said the Senior Partner. "Mike, tell Tony to 
go over again, this time dust on tobacco dust and slug shot mixed half and half. Then let Martin and 
Pedro pick all infected leaves and the entire plant, where they are bad, and bring them up to the barn to 
be burned. We'll save the balance of them if we can." 

The i)lants and leaves were taken to the barn plot, but we could not burn then green and con- 
sidered tli(>ni too dangerous to leave until dry. 

"Mike, tell the Italians to dig a hole li(>re and bury that stuff," said the farmer. He watched 
operations closely and when they had tossed in a good layer of leaves he iiad them s])read it thick with 
hme, another layer of leaves, again lime, until all were .safely interred. I have no doubt that will be a 
rich spot next year. 

Eleven times those fields were "passed" and there is nothing to show for it. Not a cauliflower 
and but few perfect cabbages and it is doubtful if we get any sprouts. The latter are .set and hard and 
the plants are laden, but the louse has discolored them so badly they would not pay for the jMcking. 
The plants average one quart of sprouts each and as there were 5,-21 1 plants set out, the loss can be safely 
estimated at 5,000 quarts. During mid-winter these bring from twelve to thirty cents a quart. I 
guess I won't figure what we might have made for there is no use crying over si)illed milk and we have 
not trusted all the eggs to one basket; a diversity of cro])s is deep wisih)m for those who ileal with Dame 
Nature at first hand. Man as yet cannot foretell the season's wet or dry characteristics, therefore it is 

[most unwise to rely on one species alone, a season fatal to one vegetable a.ssures a phenomenal yield of 
another. Our only consolation, if consolation it can be called, is that all experts and old farmers have 
suffered the same loss this season. 

I "What is the cause?" I asked one visitor from the east end of the Lsland, who always has a large 

I acreage of these special crops. 



J,. 




"Why that damp warm weather started the rot," he repHcd, "and then I think last winter was so 
warm and open all the bugs lived througli and we have a jiarticularly choice assortment this season." 

"Well, it's thoroughly discouraging," I said, "to work so hard and have the crop come almost 
to maturity and then die before your very eyes, while you are i)owerless to save it." 

"Yes! Yes! It certainly is," was his rejoinder, but he said it in a way that showed it was not 
the first time he had met such defeat. 

The spinach was given a good dose of liquid manure as a tonic at this trying season of the year 
and it later amply repaid the labor. 

The tomatoes had received their last cultivation July tenth and crimson clover was broadcasted 
and harrowed in. It carne up in four days and by mid-August the field was a mat of green, while the 
four-leaved ones among it were Hope's delight. Many a day she has come in with sixteen fours, a 
goodly number of fives and sometimes a six-leaf. 

Clover was now sowed wherever a crop came out, the early cabbage patch received it August 
twenty-seventh, while early September showed many other patches covered with cither this or vetch, 
or sainfoin, or alsike. Manure, lime and ashes were spread and cultivated in before these nitrogen 
gatherers were st)wn, for they will be allowed to remain all winter and turned under for green manure 
next spring. It takes but little time and costs but little money to sow these crops and they render 
untold good to the soil. 

By the thirtieth endive was ready to gather. Those that had been tied (and they must be well 
grown before tying) were out, the ratfia removed and thoroughly washed. The hearts were blanched 
as prettily as could be and thirteen bushel baskets were made ready for morning shipment. All things 
that left the farm in the morning were picked the night before, sprayed and allowed to remain out in 
the night air unpacked until morning. The consequence was such things as lettuce, endive and spinach 
were as crisp as possible, for these plants wilt immediately after picking, but quickly revive if watered 
and placed in the shade. 

When the returns came from the commission merchant they read — "baskets of chicory." 

" Well, if the big New York dealers don't know endive from chicory, don't let's grow it any 
more," I said. 

"I guess we have other things to do," replied the Farmer, "Let's try romaine and escarole next 
year, just a little to see if they know what that is, they are easier to grow than endive because they need 
no tying." 

The last day of August, our last at the farm ! To-morrow would see a new era, for we must return 
to the dear old home to get ready for school days. John had become converted to market-gardening 
and he had bought himself eight acres of land and went to prepare it for Spring work, while Mike moved 
his entire family to No. 1 to remain for the rest of the winter. 

A Western visitor gave us a feeling of satisfaction. There arrived in the afternoon a gentleman 
from Indiana, a total stranger, who said he had heard of the Station and would like, with our permission, 
to look over it. 

"Mr. Micklejohn," for the Farmer was still pretty lame, made him welcome and escorted him on 
a tour of inspection. 

"Well," said our visitor, "I'll tell you, Mr. FuUerton, I've been traveling for a year and a half to 
find just the place I want for a farm. I started in Texas and I have been to every State Experimental 
Station in the Union and this beats anything I have ever seen. It is the most practical, the best looking 
and the most educational of any, and I don't see how you have done it in a year." 

"It's the soil. Old Man," (all Westerners call each other Old Man, it seems to give them great 
satisfaction) "soil and climate, you can't beat it!" said the Farmer. "Come down in the cellar and see 
what we have," and he showed him the now famous cellar wall giving the strata of the earth's construc- 
tion. 

"This suits me," he said, "my weary search is over. But there is something more here than soil 
in which to grow vegetables, your island is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen, the unex- 
pected views and beauty spots make it a continual surprise. Why, those lakes just to the south of you 
are gems, and the eyes of man have hardly rested upon them, I suppose." 

"Right you are, and there are 200,000 acres of this virgin soil lying idle just waiting for a helping 
hand to give New Y'ork its fresh food." 

"Well, I'll make a prophecy, it won't be many years before there is precious little of it lying idle, 
and I, for one, am going in to help you. I want a good big farm and I'm going to buy it next week," 
he said. " By the way, I hear you have another Station at Medford, what do you think of that section, 
soil's pretty light, isn't it.''" 

"Lighter than this," replied the Senior Partner, "but deeper. The surface is drifted over with 
white sea-sand and we supposed we would find soil a foot and a half at the deepest. When they were 
clearing they dug a cellar under a shack, in which to store dynamite, and we found the soil four feet deep. 
You could have knocked rae down with a feather, for no one is more enthusiastic about the Island than 
I, but I never supposed there was four feet of good soil in that section." 

" Well, it only goes to show mighty few people know much about the land they live in," he said. 
"May I bring some friends in a few days to see the place, they will think I have lost my head when I 
tell them about it, so I want to show it to them.'' " 

"Sure thing! bring as many as you want and come as often as j^ou wish, and stay as long as you like. 
Always glad to see you," was the rejoinder. 

Dynamiter Kissam had been called away, so that but one acre of the dairy had been cleared, he 
was to return when he could and finish the piece for we were anxious to get rye in this fall. 




Our "BifgcsL Girl 



Jai);iii's Bi{,'f,'>'sL Radish 



Autumn 



THE first of Sei)tt"ml)fr saw tlie cliildrcn and myself off to IViinsylvaiiia for a tVw days. They 
had been "good as pie" all suminer and often when father and mother were too burdened to 
be pleasant they had had dull times. Rides were their great joy and they always went to the 
depot with shipments; but companionship of their age was lacking and it was time they had a 
"vacation." Such a glorious one they had with a bunch of cousins; pillow fights, early morning 
squeals, romps and picnics. 

With the aid of records kept at various times by the stenographer, Mike, Walter and Martha 
(Mike's eldest daughter), I give you the fall work. 

Sunday the second records the picking of the first melon, a Long Island beauty. The Italians 
were pressed into service more now for John's going left a hole in the force. Tomatoes were coming 
thicker than ever and I remember asking Mike on my return from a day's visit: 

"Any tomatoes yet, Mike?" 

"My gah, yes. Miss Fuller', we shij) forty-one crates this morning." 

"Forty-one crates! Goodness, that must have been some tomatoes, how many culls?" 

"Eight bushel, I give 'em to section hands and train crews, they like 'em," he answered. 

No wonder the diary records "two Italians picking tomatoes one-half day." 

Sugar corn that had been gathered was cut and stacked and the land prepared for a legume. 
Barrels had to be unloaded and stacked, for we still had hojjcs of gathering some cabbage and cauli- 
flower, while sweet potatoes held out the promise of an abundant yield. 

More endive was ready for shijiment on the sixth and the diary records: 

"Washed and picked six barrels of cabbage, eleven l)ushels of endive, also some carrots and l)eets." 

Tony showing the greatest aptitude for market-gardening, was given the more particular work 
and he soon took John's place in helping Mike with the packing. Walter, the boy, had become quite 
proficient in many ways, and for a lad of fourteen shows good signs of a budtling farmer. 

On the sixth the Assistant United States Agrostologist visited the farm to see the alfalfa. .Vs a 
test had been made for the Government at their special request, they were naturally much interested. 

His verdict coincided with others already given and he further said upon examining the roots and 
seeing the nitrogen nodules, that Long Island virgin soil must contain the needed bacteria, for the 
largest nodules found were on the uninoculatetl section. That the bacteria was at home and at work 
in all sections he felt was true without a doubt, ami he further preilicted that "next year you will not 
be able to tell one quarter from another." 

The tenth records the shipment of five crates of melons, and from that time on we could not com- 
pete with the field, the yield was too great. The projjhecy held for them came true, they were not as 
sweet as we had hoped, l)ut like cauliflower this was an off year, entirely too wet and really good melons 
were as "scarce as hen's teclh." I give you here a letter to Mr. Peters on the subject: 



"Mr. Ralph Peters, Prea., Long Island Tily. 

"Deiir Sir: — The wcjither, \vhi<'h seiil llii' llMTiiioiiirlcr dnwTi lo forty ;iinl c 
np our melons ami furlber weakened the vilalily of Ihe vines lo a marked extent. 



'WadinK River. Lon« Island, N. Y.. 

" September 10, 1006. 

even a Irille lielow nisjht after ni)?hl, held 
The striped lieelle, whieli has been our 



hardest nut to crack, true to the usual procedure, appeared late in August in immense numbers. This was a time when he 
could only be fought with severe damage, not only to the vines but the melons themselves, ami in spite of the greatest of care 
and most thorough work they succeeded in laying eggs in great iiuantities. The beetle itself and its 'maggot' not only attacks 
the vines, but it attacks the melons themselves as it does cucumbers and squashes. While they are seldom able to injure, 
or in fact penetrate the interior, they certainly spoil the appearance of the melon and in many cases where they happen to 
work close to the juncture of the vine, they partly cut olf the sustenance supply and cheek growth and ripening considerably. 
We have a big lot of melons of excellent quality, but they do not look right. I went into the city on Thursday afternoon, 
Friday and Saturday, and found that, without exception, both Jersey and Southern melons had been attacked in exactly the 
same way as melons on No. 1. I also found that Rocky Fords were coming in with mutilated skin coverings. At the Delaware 
Water Gap when I went to bring home my family, I found exactly the same state of affairs existing with every melon I could 
discover. A few of them were native, most of them were coming from .Jersey, Colorado and the South. Nevertheless, in spite 
of the scientific explanation that there are certain seasons when the natural enemy of our insect pests are entirely absent, or 
present in numbers so small that they do not exert any apparent influence and man alone cannot cope with them, we have no 
hesitancy in saying that we will prevent this marking another year and base this egotistic statement on the results of our experi- 
ments, which, although started late in the season, will show conclusively that the aftermath of the striped beetle need not be 
feared if toljacco is used freely, particularly, about the melon hills, etc. 

"Yours truly, 

"H. B. Fullerton, 

"Special Agent. 

On the eleventh "we two" went to the farm for the nij^ht, for the following day we were to receive 

a delegation of dairymen to view the farm's successes and failures. 

For their benefit we placed upon the porch a bale of alfalfa and a bunch of plants (roots and all) 

from each quarter section. They seemed wonderfully pleased with the successes attained and one of 

them upon examining the root nodules, said: 

" May I take some of these home with me.' We have tried for three years to raise alfalfa at our 

dairy and we cannot get a nodule or get the plant to live over winter. It is a remarkable showing this 

section has made and I congratulate you most heartily." 

No less interesting to them were the other fodder crops and they were as surpri.sed at the V'irginia 

horse tooth as any one else had been. By this time it had grown to fifteen and one-half feet, with the 
' ears, seven and eight feet from the ground. 

I A six-footer stood among it holding an umbrella in his upstretched hand and the tip of the um- 

■ brella could not touch the tassel. 

The Suffolk County Fair opened on the seventeenth and much time was consumed in making 

ready. A little portable house, the same size as the one we had been living in, was erected on the fair 
: grounds, and for some time we had been preparing and framing photographs of the farm's development, 

to hang upon the walls. Sunday the sixteenth took us all to the farm again, giving to the children a 
, good treat, for they really had grown very fond of the place, and to us another busy Sunday. 

Being "Suffolk Countyites" we are allowed to enter vegetables for competition and strange to 
I relate, the yearling farm won eleven first prizes, six seconds and an honorary mention. The portable 
j had its miniature sign by the front door flanked by teosinte and backed by Virginia horse tooth, the 
I interior had one room finished as a bed-room, while the others had tables loaded down with vegetables 
i of various sorts. There was a goodly showing for the time of year, lettuce, endive, summer and spring 
I radishes, beets, onions, carrots, parsnips, salsify, beans, sugar corn, tomatoes, squash, marrow, canta- 
.' loupes, watermelons, mangels, sugar beets, pe-tsai, and sakurajima, potatoes, sweet and white, cabbage, 
I sprouts and peanuts, alfalfa, millet, corn, sorghum and teosinte. 

\ The little cottage was crowded with visitors every day, some from curiosity, some from real 

] interest, many came back a second and third time, becoming so absorbed in the subject we would often 
\ talk for hours. 

I "These are scrub oak vegetables, raised in one year without the use of commercial fertilizer," 

ijwe would say. 
j "Oh, I don't know about that," would come the rejoinder. 

"Then I'll tell you," and the whole story of the farm's history would be repeated. No one who 
(heard or saw it as I have tried to relate it in these pages, but saw the logic in the venture, and many an 
j agriculturist had new heart put into him from the long chat, while without a doubt we received as good 
las we gave. 

I They contended, those who had not farmed, that ten tons of manure to the acre was "a heap of 

I fertilizer." I would like to quote here from the American Agriculturinl of recent date. The extract is 

from an article on raising melons in another state and the quantities used are for one acre. 
\ " In the Fall is spread twenty tons of stable manure free of stalks and straw (this would equal 

I' thirty to forty tons of ordinary manure). 
" 1000 pounds high grade Carolina phosphate rock. 
"300 pounds high grade sulphate of potash. 
"This is harrowed in and I sow twelve to fifteen quarts of crimson clover to be plowed under in 
April. I then sow 1000 pounds complete fertilizer (formula two per cent, nitrogen and four per cent, 
phosphoric acid and ten per cent, potash)." 

This surely dwarfs ten tons strawy manure into insignificance. 

The second morning of the fair, a carriage full of visitors drove up to the door and an east-end 
;neighbor, who had visited the farm in the early summer alighted, bearing several large l)ouquets of asters 
and dahlias. He brought them with the thought they might help brighten our exhibit. In reality 
they were a peace offering. I relate the incident as one which to us was full of glee. 
During his visit to the farm he espied the newly set out celery plants. 
"Your farm's all right, Mr. Fullerton, but what did you plant that for.'" 
"Celery.' Wliy not?" said tlie Senior Partner. 

"Why not.' Because you can't raise it here and there's no use trying," he replied. 
"Do you raise celery?" asked the Book Farmer. 
"Um!" as our guest nodded his head. 
"Exhibit at the Riverhead Fair?" 
"Um!" again as he acquiesced. 



"Well, so do we, and if you win a prize this year you'll know it, for you'll have to work overtime." 

A smile broke over his face and he clapped the "gude mon" on the shoulder, saying: 

"Fullerton, you think the Island will grow anything under the sun, don't you?" But his expression 
said, "He's an enthusiastic youngster (the said 'gude mon' being some years his senior) but he'll get 
over it." 

We exhibited celery at the fair and won second prize. Therefore the flowers. 

One afternoon I was standing in the bedroom door tired from the day's exertions (the Senior 
Partner was away that day holding another exhibit at an agricultural gathering). The house was 
crowded with visitors, among them some Irishmen. 

One large, portly man said: " Och, come on out, they know what to put in their fields." 

"What did we put on the fields?" I flared up, supposing, of course, that he referred to a high- 
priced fertilizer. 

"Shure an' didn't they have you in the fields! Sure, I'd worruk meself if you was out there!" 

I blush to tell the story, but it is too good to keep, that was the time my zeal for the farm got nie 
into hot water. 

In our beloved home town, the Horticultural and Agricultural Association held an exhibition and 
they particularly requested a showing from the farm, sending us entry blanks for competition. We were 
glad to help and filled out the blanks with twenty entries. As this took place during the Riverhcad 
Fair week, the Senior Partner left me late one evening, drove the twelve miles to the farm, gathered 
and packed crops all night and took them in to the exhibition the next morning. 

The farm's showing was as pretty as could be, its greatest attraction in one sense being a basket 
of dainty miniature vegetables from the children's garden. Their plantings had been made very late 
and in the shade which tended to dwarf them, but under the circumstances seemed very apropos; as at 
other exhibitions people wondered whether the corn was not spliced, while the high quality coupled with 
the extensive variety attracted much attention. 

When the Farmer returned to Riverhead I eagerly asked the news, meaning, of course, what 
prizes had we won. 

"Nothing doing," he said, "they seemed to think it was honor enough to be allowed to exhibit 
fifty varieties and would not allow our stuff in competition. I guess the next time I 'help out' I'll 
think twice before I work all night doing it." 

"That hurts," I replied. "If it were outsiders we could speak our mind, but that touches the 
quick." 

At the Mineola Fair where the exhibit looked even prettier than at Riverhead, the Senior Partner 
had an odd experience. 

A gentleman came in and said, "How are you Mr. Fullerton; I've been looking for you and asked 

a man if he could tell me where to find your exhibit. 'There's the whole d humbug over there,' 

he said, so here I am." 

"Where's the man," said the Railroad Farmer, "and what's the matter with him?" 

"He's outside now looking at that corn to see where it's spliced. He says you didn't raise the 
things and if you did you had five tons of commercial fertilizer to the acre," replied the visitor. 

The Senior Partner stumped out under full head of steam and the following wafted in the 
window: 

Jk" Howdy, neighbor! Hear you don't believe we raised this stuff without commercial fertilizer, 
ril'tell you what I'll do. I'll give you $1,000 for every ton we used on every acre of the ten, and if 
you don't think my personal check is good, I'm sure President Peters will be glad to back me; in fact, 
I'm not sure but he'll raise it a $1,000 or so for every ton we used and I mean it," he reiterated. "At 
your figures that would be $50,000 sure money, at least, and you had better start in at once. Here's 
the name of the man we bought everything from in the way of fertilizer, that will start you right and 
I quick." 

I The stranger had nothing more to say, but left the exhibit at once and I doubt very much if he 

I is hunting for the fertilizer. 

I Among our visitors at the latter fair were many market gardeners (all of whom were most compli- 

( mentary about the produce and felt the Experimental Station had done them a personal favor in open- 
j ing up a territory that had so long been looked upon as valueless and not even considered. Many of 
them were forced to give up their farms near the city, as price of land and taxation was too high to 
I compete with longer, and big figures were being paid for their acres. They now felt a promised land 
1 was open and they would come out into "Suffolk." 

j Many of our vegetables at the fairs proved tempting, especially the black radishes to the Germans, 

while a pile of very large sweet potatoes near a door disappeared mysteriously. One portly lady was 
seen walking across the grounds with a large yellow potato hugged lovingly against a black silk dress. 
To quote Kipling, " it showed up like a ripe banana in a smoke house." 

It was particularly fascinating to watch the interest shown in the various varieties. Without a 
doubt the one bale of alfalfa, together with the photographs picturing the work in the field from inocu- 
lation of seed up to and including the harvest, caused more comment than anything else there. Interest 
'in it was shown by young and old, and in fact the younger men seemed the most eager to know how to 

I grow it successfully. 
A lad of about eighteen became so engrossed in it and the other farm products, that he spent a 
! whole morning in the building; while a boy nearer fourteen said, "I'm going to make niy father grow 
jthat if I can." It well repaid us the long days and incessant talk to see the keen awakening of the bud- 
Iding agriculturists. 

1 Women, of course, showed more interest in "garden sass," especially in tlie niartynias. large 

fradishes, including the twelve pound Sakurajima and the Pe-tsai. Request after request was made for 
jthe names "written down so I won't forget" and I doubt not many little gardens will gro\v them 
inext year. 



One t;cntlrimin spent iiiucli time over tlio fxhil)it, went iiwiiy ami relumed shortly, with Iw i| 
eompanioiis. They pnsscd sileiitl\ around nuting every detail and iinally one of them broke forth: 

"They'\f utii. Jersey l>eat to deatlil" 

That was a dniuf;ht of nectar to we "book fanners." 

Ted l>ecanie iufh^jnanl many times a day at the remark that the sixteen foot corn was "splieed, ' 
and would say: 

" Kven after they've looked it all omt. from the root to the top they will hanlly believe it." 

The little stenographer, who is short and round, i)e(ame, after a brief while, utterly disjiusted. 

"Why. you can't makt- people lirliexc we f;row them without tons and tons of fertilizer." Sh<r 
had a long argument with one man, who iinally .said: ' 

"Well, what do you eat to make you so fat?" 

.\n«l she replied: 

"Scrub o.ik vegetabh's," whic-h seemed to be conclusive proof of their merit. 

The last day of the fair the little house was thronged with people asking for their favorite veget^ibh 
while many asked for pc|)pers, tomatoes, melons and squashes "for .seed." The watermelons wet 
eagerly sought for, they were not very large, but the sweetness made u[) for lack of si/e. 

I nincmbcr asking the Senior l*artiicr, when we were breaking up the Kiverhcad exhibit: 

".\re there enough melons for MiMcolai"" 

"Knoughl 'J'he <cllar is half full, Mike don't know how to get time to ship them." 

Ted had been constantly al the fair and after going back to No. 1 to see the engine repaired (a 
blow hole in the c-ylindi-r had been causing us a good deal of troublej went to Hxperimeiital Station No. i. 
where a countryman o( his, with his wife and little children, are ensconced in the |)ortable that did ser- 
vice at the fairs. 

As the weather grew colder we (h-cmed it wise to dig the remainder of the sweet potatoes, but Mik'- 
begged so hard to be allowed to leave them, saying: 

"I save him, Mr. Fuller', I make big brush heaps all around, a frost come, I light him, that save. 
I make brush heaps too all around lima beans, after frost he bring much nuiney," that we allowed him 
to have his way. 

On the tenth the Farmer went to the farm with some very important photographic work in hand. 
lie had scarcely slei)pcd foot upon the place when, as he says: 

"I got uneasy and told Mike to call the men in from the dairy and i)ick every tomato, bean and 
eggplant. I felt we would have frost that night." 

Mike .sat up until midnight to watch for it and deciding there would be none as no dew was falling, 
went to bed without lighting the sweet jjotato brush fire. Signs failed for the thermometer fell to twenty- 
eight degrees and potatoes had to come out next day. They were practically mature, but we would 
like to have had a week longer. The yield of this digging was forty bushels; this with the previous one 
bringing the yield up to .11 bushels. 

\ irginia horse tooth not only reached the desired height of sixteen feet, but went two feet higher: 
and has also matured. The yield in bulk of forage is tremendous, while the depth of kernel and cir- 
euniference of ear are remarkable. One of the prettiest sights on a farm is stacked corn when the yield t 
is good, while as true wigwams for make-believe Indians they cannot be surpassed. 

.Mfalfa was cut for the second time October twelfth. The yield was, of course, a mere iiundful' 
"omparcd with the first cutting, but the field has held to its rcpuUition even in this respect, the second 
cuttings totaling "207 jxurnds, green. 

.\ trip o\<T the iields in October makes one feel desolate enough, crops out or half out, signs if 
the h»-avy frost everywhere. The most |)e(uliar thing, however, is to find the field where we ha\'' 
lately ri-moved turnips, thickly dotted with beautiful endive; radishes where sweet corn has been c\il. 
and carrots, peas, bi-ans and sjjinach among the crimson clover. These plants were "first cro|>s" on 
each section and it <loes not seem to mailer how deep the seeds have been buried, they all come u|) in 
Iheir own good time. 

Thus sl;in(fs the farm, but a yaiv an<l a month old. Proudly does it rai.se its head and look tli'- 
world in the fac<-. calling to mankind to come and liberate its sister acres lying in idle waste and un- 
productiveness, awaitiii;,' but the touch of that magic wand -the hand of man. 




The "Littlest Girl" and an "All-head" Cabbage 



T 



Packing and Shipping Notes and Epilogue 

o tlie beginner this portion of the business is fraught with as much uncertainty as any other. 
Tlie method of packing varies materially with the locality. 

We have been much interested in the subject this season and find that if a package is good, 
antl the principle based on common sense, backed by first class products, the market is glad to 
have it. 

One day during the height of the tomato season we made a pilgrimage among the markets and 
commission houses. We saw the same article packed in many differing ways, each with some feature, 
which must h;kve appealed to the packer. Lastly we went to a commission house where we had been 
shipping the farm's surplus and asked them the method in which they would rather have us pack toma- 
toes. 

"Well, Mr. Fullerton, I'll tell you," said the young man in charge, "tomatoes usually come in 
what we call Jersey crates. Here they are, rather heavy and hold about a bushel." 

"Then you don't care for our package of six baskets to the crate," said the Senior Partner. 

"Why, yes, we are doing well on those. Jersey crates are selling now for fifty cents and we are 
getting one dollar for yours right along. In fact, there is one buyer comes here and won't look at any- 
thing initil he knows whether you have a shipment in. Your goods are fine and we know they're the 
same all through. If I were you I'd keep on packing tomatoes your way." 

"I guess we will," was the rejoinder. 

One thing is certain, it pays to pack your fancy goods in a fancy style for the fancy trade, then 
ship your seconds as such. Our tomatoes, as I have said before, were all sorted, which left every dav 
from three to eight bushels of seconds. These could have been disposed of easily in a local market for 
a reasonable price, while "our fancies" were bringing just double the price of the usual shipment. 

The same holds good of other products. Young carrots washed and bunched, with the tops left 
on and packed, we think, either in crates or bushel baskets, will bring far and beyond the price fully 
matured carrots with the tops cut off, then barreled. One package appeals to the fancy grocer, the other 
to the wholesale dealer. 

Some dealers wish a dozen bunches of carrots tied together, I imagine this is when they are shipped 
by the barrel, for it is then easy to ship a barrel's contents without much handling. If, however, the 
carrots are packed in bushel or half-bushel baskets this quantity is about what the retail dealer would 
handle. 

The commission merchants are in need of some education also. When they calmly call four 
distinct varieties of endive "esgrove," it shows they are not on the "fancy" scale; they should seek the 

("fancy" trade when they have a shipper who sends them "fancy" goods, particularly varieties of the 
favorites of foreign climes. 
It seems to us that a change is needed. The grower's products go now to a commission merchant, 
[are sold by him (between li and 3 A. M.) to the wholesale dealer, by him to the small grocer and lastly 
(Ito the consumer. This necessitates the following delays and handlings: 



Our pnuliH t>. fur in>l;iii<<'. wtiiild lca\«' the farm al 7 A. M. crisi), tender an<l fresh; tliat iii^'lit jii 
iiiiiliii;,'lit llii-y would he sorted out to llie «liolesale dealer, the foHowiiij,' iiioriilii),' he sclU lolhe nroc» r 
and l>y iiinht tlie eoiisiiiiier has it. Tliis eoii(htioii is, of course, inueli worse wliere the produce is from 
l\\eiilv-f«>iir hours to one week in transit l)elweoii grower and deaU-r. 

Tlie day is sliorlly to arrive when all restaurants, hotels and clubs will deal «lireclly with the farmer 
f;i\ iiig to him the full value of his crops. This means to tiie producer a very lar>^<' increase in his return^. 

To the private consumer, the "Home Hamper" will hritif; to the door ai)solutely fresh vegctttbUs 
in season, unliandled. If you will stop to think one moment what "unhanilled" means, you will b<; 
astoundeil. " I nhandled by a dozen i>eople, not having; stood in hot stores, foul cellars, or along dusty 
>lr«'ets"; and it means the same to the famous steward as it does to the sim|)le housekeeper. 

The "Home Hamper" mi'ans a mail order business, and let me say here leL no man, or woiniin, 
undertakt* market-gardening uidess they distinctly understand it is a business; as much a business a.s a 
department ston- or a manufactory. This hamper is delivered in New ^'ork or Brooklyn for i)(1..50; 
exactly the .same price in mi<l-.season, much less when vegetables are scarce, than you would pay for 
the articles at a fair gnu-n grocer's. To the housekeeper within the city limits the mail order t'anlener 
o|M'ns to her iloor through whi<h she can bring in fresh supplies for jellies, jams, |)reserves. canned 
\egelabl<'s atui pickles, the exact (piantity she desires fresh from the garden. To the gardener who a<lds 
<-hickens to his other jiroducts, a market for eggs is at once opened, for these may form a portioti of th<- 
"Ibmie H.-imper" contents, and "dorma!it" foo<l for city dwellers be reduced to a minimum. 

I'eri>hable products, sui-h as lettuce, endive, spinach ;itid radishes, should be picked either in th'- 
earls- morning or al nightfall. They should then be spread in the shade, thoroughly s|)rinkled aiicl icfl 
in llu' open all night. The.se products wilt instantly when gathered, and the usual method is to taken 
barrel into the field cut the croj) and pack it at once, the result being the produce wilts and heats trr- 
nien«lonsly. Radishes when shipped to a hotel or club should be packed in crates, which have- had 
paraffin paper laid on each side and each end. They should not be bunched, which is a saving of nuich 
time to both parties concerned, and every radish should be so perfect that the steward may take up a 
handful and .see that they may be ser\'ed at once. Is he willing to pay a good price.^ Of course he is, 
for it .saves him one man's time and brings him much commendation. Lettuce well washed and eri.sp. 
.saves him further time; in fact, the benefit lie «ierives is well worth a fancy price no matter what th'- 
vegetable. 

Sweet corn, without a doubt, is the most difficult product to get to market in its best condition. 
It lieats very fast, while after a few hours the sugar is transformed into starch. If pcssible, pick it in 
the early morning and ship at once; if not, pick the last thing at night, spread so the cars do not lie on 
one another and leave it out in the night air, packing and shipping at once in the early morning. 

The Senior Partner says, ".\ true corn eat is where you pick the corn after the water is boiling." 
but alas for city folks, they will never know a "true corn eat." I doubt not the "Home Hamiier 
this summer has given them the nearest to it they have ever known. 

The f.irm has shipped this summir u[)ward of one hundred "Home IIam|)ers," most of them to i 
"history makers" and "critics," which if sold as many of them were, at the usual rate ($I.oOj wouM 
liave netted a tidy sum — they have been forwarded through New York City to interior points an<l ne\ 
failed to arrive in prime condition and receive cnconiums. 

The personal efpiation here as elsewhere means much, therefore study up your jjackages, decide 
what you will use and put them together during the winter, time is too jjrccious in the summer .season. 

(Jathi-ring a crop when it t.us reached the best stage is a matter that entails much thought. The 
coming idea is "not how large, but how good." Peas picked when young and sweet will sell as "petit 
pois" at an advanced figure. Small beans bring "baby bean" figures, while small, crisp radishes ari- 
tin- only ones worth shipping, ^'oung beets are in deinaml. also young carrots, onions and turnip-. 
(iather your corn before the kernels have reached their largest size anil do not w.iit for lettuce to becoii; ■ 
as hard as a rock provided it is well blanched and hcjided. 

It seems to me the nuitual interests of market -gardener and consumer coulil be materially advance! 
if the former would form ii league and meet the National Stewards League of .\merica. They would, 
find their inti-rests identical and here, on ecpial terms, matters of vital interest could be brought up and 
discussed. 

'I'he .Market-(Jardener.s' .\s.sociation could have at its head an agent whose business it would be t > 
keep in touch with the members of the assf)ciation and the members of the league, so that a larger harve ' 
of one<-ommo<lity could be disposed of wIktc the le.igue members most wanted it. The Suffolk Couir 
Cauliflower .Association has been i'stalili>he<l on these lines for some years. Their agent keeps in fou, 
with the markets of both Kast and West, giving to the mcnd)ers the knowledge where to ship to th«ir 
best advantage and thus save a glut in the nearby market. Now the produci-r an<l consumer of g.irdiii 
crops an- as f;ir-apart as the poles with the commission man between them. This may ami no doubt 
d<M-s .sound most trememlously hard on the (ommissioners; they still have thc-ir place in th<- world 
however, for the bigcardoa<l lots and imporl<-d commodities nnisl alw.i.v s be looked .-iftcr by them. T' 
iimrk<-t-garden<Ts' (-ouNignnK-nts an- UNUally small ami many l•<>mmi^■^i<>rl houses do not (arc to han> 
Ihem at all. This has been our personal (-xperience this summer, therefore the fact has been forced up' . 
i\s. that the .Hmidl pnwiuccr nuist fin<l his market direct; easy in this case for the one wants w hat the otlf r 
has. 

On the .same elate from the same house there may be a wide difference in the n-turns on the sjir 
comnifMlity packed in different ways. Again the return from one house may !«- nuicli higher than fr. 
!inother on the same goo<ls packed the .same way. For instance, from tme house on the same day ^ 
received th'- same price for a basket and for a crate of melons. The basket, of course held much I. 
but the qualit of the two packages was the same. At one lime ami at one house turnips sold for si\l 
.seven cent-s |m-i barn-l. at another house, .sev»-n cents per bunch, in (-rates; this s(-(-m'> to be good [)r. 
(if the advisability of fan(-y pai-king. Tomato(-s loose in crates (even though carefully .sorted) brouj;! 
hfty cents per crate; in baskets in crates, as high as $1.7.5. 




No. i's "Wicksou" Plum, not yet three years old. Peaches that pleased the palates of eveu the 
epicurean Oriole. Grapes of superb quality and big yield 




c - 

1 1 

11 

3 ^ 



.2 .£' 






a f 



Watermelons and eg^pliints should l)e packed with a little straw that they may carry unblemished. 
Lettuce wrapped in paraffin paper and a jjiece of paper laid over the head of cauliflower will raise them 
at once to the ranks of aristocratic vegetables. 

For the convenience of those who are uninitiated, two and one-half bushels make a barrel; spring 
radishes should have twelve in a bunch, while the summer varieties require only six. Beets and turnips 
should have six, eight or ten, according to size; understand this is merely the custom of one locality, and 
package customs, like others, have their good and bad points. Individuality, on a basis of common 
sense, will prove as good with vegetables as it has with fruits and flowers, while new varieties and hybrids 
are being as eagerly sought for by stewards as by landscape gardeners. 

List of Plant Life 

Flourishing at Experimental Station No. 1 within a j'ear after clearing commenced 



Name No. of varieties 

Artichoke, Jerusalem. ... 1 

Asparagus 1 

Beans, string 8 

Beans, Lima 6 

Beets 3 

Borage 1 

Brussels Sprouts i 

Cabbage 14 

Cardoon 1 

Carrot 4 

Cauliflower 3 

Celery 9 



Name No. of varieties 

Apple 10 

Apricot 1 

Blackberries 1 

Cantaloupes 5 

Cherries 4 



Name No. of varieties 

Alfalfa 1 

Alsike 1 

Beets, sugar 1 

Canada field peas 1 



Name No. of varieties 

Adlumia 1 

Asters 3 

Bessera 1 

Bulbous begonias 4 

Calendual 1 

Calladium 1 

Catalpa 1 

Coboea 1 

Chrysanthemum 6 

Crocus 3 



Vegetables 



Name No. of varieties 

Celeriac 1 

Chives 1 

Corn, sweet 10 

Cucumbers 5 

Eggplant 1 

Endive.. 3 

Horseradish 1 

Kale 2 

Kohl-Rabi 1 

Lettuce 19 

Martynia 1 

Okra ■. 2 



No. of varieties 
4 



Name 
Onions . 
Parsnips 

Parsley 2 

Peanuts 2 

Peas 3 

Peppers 4 

Pc-tsai 1 

Potatoes, white 10 

Potatoes, sweet 3 

Pumpkin 2 

Radishes 8 

Rhubarb 2 



Fruits and Berries 



Name No. of varieties 

Currants 3 

European plums 6 

Gooseberries 2 

Grapes 3 

Japanese plums 3 



Name No. of varieties 

Nectarine 1 

Peaches 6 

Pears 10 

Quinces 3 

Raspberries 3 



Forage 



Name No. of varieties Name 

Clover 3 Millet . . . 

Corn, field 2 Oats ... 

Cow peas 1 Rye 

Mangel Wurzel 2 Sorghum. 



No. of varieties 



Foliage and Flower Plants 



Name No. of varieties 

Cypress vine 2 

Dahlia 3 

Daffodils 3 

Eulalia 3 

Forget-me-not 1 

Fuschia 4 

Geranium '. 4 

Gladiolus 6 

Grass, lawn 3 

Hollyhock 4 



No. of varieties 
3 



Name 
Iris. . . 

Lilac 2 

Lilies 2 

Nasturtium, dwarf 4 

Nasturtium, climbing ... 5 

0.\alis 3 

Pansy 6 

Perennial piilo.< 6 

Privet 1 

Roses lo 



Name No. of varieties 

Sakurajiina 3 

Salsify 1 

Scorzouera. 1 

Shallots 1 

Spinach .'5 

Squash 5 

Sunflower 1 

Tomatoes 16 

Turnips 4 

Udo 2 



Total 



.180 



Name No. of varieties 

Strawberries 1 

Watermelon 2 



Total (U 



Name 
Teosinte . 
Vetch . . . 



No. of varieties 

1 

1 



Total 



Name No. of varieties 

Salvia 1 

Scarlet runner 1 

Shrub, scented 1 

Sweet peas ... (! 

Sweet William 1 

Thunbergia 1 

Violet 3 

Wild Cucumber 1 



Total 



.117 



Grand Total 380 varieties 



71 





Long Island Cauliflower unequalled elsewhere 



Summary 

Giving data, also conclusions of Broad Gauge Men 

THE history of Twentieth Century Pioneering has been written from a record kept clay unto day 
in two diaries; this being supplemented by a very large number of photographs to graphically 
portray the methods and happenings incident to the subjugation of acreage, frequently referred 
to as "wild land," in the quickest time possible. Unquestionably many improvements will 
suggest themselves to even the casual reader. 

Three hundred and eighty varieties of plant growth were successfully developed or naturalized. 
This great number was experimented with in order to prove conclusively to the world at large the fact 
well known to real Long Islanders, that any plant growable in the Temperate Zone could be developed 
far above the average in quality, and further, many little known or entirely unknown growths of marked 
food value in their native countries would readily naturalize with the particularly favorable conditions 
of Long Island climate and soil. 

In no respects were the experiments with unusual plants a failure. The failures as enlarged upon 
in the body of this book, were without exception with those species long ago proven particularly profitable 
on the Island. And the failures upon Experimental Station Number 1 were duplicated not only on 
Long Island, but throughout the East because of the practically unique atmospheric conditions prevalent 
during the summer of 1906. 

Commercial fertilizer was not used or experimented with because it was not needed in the virgin 
soil, whose only lack was humus, or decaying vegetable matter. A particularly small quantity of manure 
was used in order to show that a very small amount of capital could be made to yield more profit when 
invested in agricultural pursuits upon the libeled Long Island territory still lying idle and without 
reason called "pine barrens" and "scrub-oak waste," than from acres long tilled by "penny wise and 
pound foolish" owners. 

To plant and cultivate thirteen acres, the majority of them intensively, but three men were em- 
ployed. Again, to show primarily that a small amount of capital would carry on the labor end of market- 
gardening, also that three men with modern machinery could do what from five to eight experienced 
hands would accomplish with only the strongest of efforts without the aid of labor-saving devices. The 
use of mechanical drills and hand cultivators proved time and time again, by measurement and by clock, 
that one man with a machine whose first cost as from $7 to $10 and with a life lasting many years, 
equaled ten men with a hoe. 

Many experiments in packing and marketing were tried, proving conclusively that individuality 
in packing paid. That there was a great market for strictly choice, fresh, products of the earth and 
further that the principle proven so successful by manufacturers and mercantile houses, must be pursued 
to secure the largest returns by those who select to go to Mother Nature for a livelihood. The trend 
of the times is summed up in the phrase "from producer to consumer direct." The consumer secures 
not only absolutely fresh food, but vegetables and berries and fruits that have ripened, as the chemistry 
of nature requires, upon the parent stalk at no increase in cost, but, in fact, at a marked reduction; while 
the grower who has given time and labor, thought and capital, receives a return suflicient to prove that 
agriculture is a business, assuring not only a comfortable livelihood but profits fully equal to those of 
any manufacturing or mercantile pursuit. It is sincerely hoped that the following data will prove of 
interest and value. 

Total area of Long Island, 1,076,480 acres. The west end, comprising Kings, Queens and Nassau 
Counties, 337,363 acres. Suffolk County, the easterly two-thirds of the Island, covers 739,1 17 acres. Of 
this over 40,000 are without assessment. This non-producing territory consists mainly of beaches and 
salt meadows, while 200,000 acres lie idle and with merely nominal assessment against them, much of 
them covered with second and third growth timber consisting principally of oak, chestnut and pine 
which is not considered large enough for cord wood. Some of it through lack of forethought has been 
burned over by the forest fires so prevalent generally in the spring. As a matter of fact the cord wood 
on much of this idle acreage would pay and more than pay for the clearing and the first cost. Practically 
all of it is absolutely virgin soil with every requisite for raising a high quality and big yield of flowers, 
fruits and vegetables. 

Prices of uncleared land vary from $25 to $150 per acre. Cleared land, some of it fenced and with 
dwellings and farm buildings upon it, varies in price from $100 to $250 per acre. Much of this land is 
extremely valuable having been kept up by the waste matter of live stock of many species. Other 
acreage has been handled by progressive men who knew the value of cover crops and green manure. 
Some, of course, has been handled with less intelligence but quickly responds to methods proven rational 
and assuring yearly increase of fertility. 

Every section of Long Island is readily accessible. The narrow island has three divisions of the 
Long Island Railroad paralleling each other; one on the south shore, one through the central section 
and one along the north shore, making it practically impossible to locate five miles from the railroad 
facilities, and much of the unsubdued woodland lies within seventy miles of New York City, the greatest 
market in the world. 

The Long Island Railroad Company was chartered in 1834, construction completed to Hicksville 
in 1837 and in 1844 the main line had reached the terminal at Greenport, which, with a connecting line of 
steamers, opened up New England markets to the farmers at the east end of Suffolk County, which 

73 







i| 



rapidly developed that portion of the fertile isluud. Railroad .stalisties show llial llie Loiif,' Island 
Railroad is the only railroad in the United States \vhi(-h has retained its original name and charter 
unchanged. Long Island, settled in 1640 both from England and New England, the particularly favor- 
able climate backing up the fertile and tractable soil, soon brought settlers from neighboring states as 
well as across the water. The east end built up speedily and settlements first trended west along the 
thrifty tree-covered north shore. Huntington, mainly because of its good harbor, developed strongly 
and furnished in the early days the small villages of New York and Brooklyn with bread from its bakeries . 
Westbury, developed from Hempstead, was at this time supplying milk to these same small villages and 
the extreme east end was supplying meat, which was driven on the hoof to be slaughtered Ijy the i)re- 
deccssors of the purveyors of animal food to the metropolis of to-day. As New York and Brooklyn 
grew, the wealthier classes selected Long Island for their country homes. In Colonial days the territory 
just east of Long Island City was covered by beautiful country places and wc were entertaining celebrated 
foreigners, Lafayette among others. Driven eastward by natural development of the great cities, the 
Westbury Hills, attracted those longing for great estates and the dairymen exchanged the milk pail 
for the coupon-cutting scissors. At Glen Cove, between Oyster Bay and Hempstead, and at Amity- 
ville the rapid settlement by the wealthier classes continued antl as transportation facilities were in- 
creased, the home-seeker of more modest means followed, until the territory up to the Suffolk line was 
(lotted thickly with growing villages, now for the greater part suburban wards. Suffolk was an unknown 
country sparsely settled and devoted mainly to farming. The natural eastward trend, however, which 
started in Colonial days, has not abated, the newcomers in Suffolk as a rule selecting their home sites 
near the island's shores, leaving the interior still unsubdued. 

Topographically the island's surface is most varied. Its north shore is composed of wooded 
hills dropping abruptly to the waters of the sound, and sloping gradually to the ocean shore, leaving its 
central section a gently undulating and very easily tilled territory. Its climate is remarkably temperate, 
records showing the range between May and October to be 56 in October and but 7L8 in July. The 
waters surrounding the island tempering the heat in summer as well as the cold in winter. The records 
show between 10 to 15 degrees in favor of Long Island. Government report shows the average date of 
killing frosts on Long Island to be October 20th, about one month later than in Brooklyn or New York. 
The same report shows that in the year 1898 there were 312 sunshiny days, a record only claimed in 
such semi-tropical states as California or Florida, such statistics explain in part why Long Island is the 
most favored spot on the Atlantic coast. It is the only land lying directly across the prevailing south- 
west winds of summer, which blowing from the ocean reach it unobstructed and uncontaminated. Its 
soil is known to the geologist as Norfolk sandy loam, varying in depth from two and one-half to five 
feet. Its underdrainage being ideal and far superior to that secured by ditching or tiles, composed 
chiefly of glacial boulders and gravel, surplus moisture is carried off as it slowly percolates through the 
soil above, which contains sufficient clay to hold the moisture and supply the needs of plant life. This 
same drainage is given as the reason that of the ten healthiest spots in the world Long Island stands 
third, the first and second being far up in the mountains of Europe. 

In the agricultural statistics of New York State the island holds a high place; its area is given as 
about one-twenty fifth of the entire state. In Suffolk County over one-half of this land is undeveloped. 
The population statistics of the early days are interesting. 

POPULATION 

1693 1698 1703 1723 

New York State 2,932 17,848 20,749 40,584 

New York City 477 4,937 4,436 7,248 

Long Island 1,432 8,261 9,653 15,650 

For a century and a half, while New York State was largely agricultural, the island in poi)ulatioii 
and revenue was the mainstay of the Empire State, running up to one-half of the state's total. 

Its crop yield led all other portions, not excepting the Mohawk and Genesee valleys' famous 
farnis. 

The average yield per acre from old state records show 

Average yield per acre 
Long Island All other sections 

Corn 35 bushels 28 bushels 

Wheat 19 bushels 14 bushels 

Oats 26 bushels 17 bushels 

Rye 17 bushels 1 1 bushels 

Barley 28 bushels 16 bushels 

Sufifolk County's settlement is strangely sparse, there being roughly, one and three-fourths persons 
per acre, averaging the island as a whole. An anomaly for a territory which is the logical resilience 
section of Greater New Yorkers and which for generations has proven itself to be the natural sonrte of 
supply of milk and vegetables needed by the great cities whose requirements augment stupendously 
each year. These two foods being of little value and even a menace to health, except irlicn fitriHhj Jnsli. 
must perforce be drawn from supply points close by. For even the most studious care and skillful 
refrigeration fails to compensate for the extended time necessary to reach the consumer from far-off 
regions. Milk cannot be kept in perfect statu quo nor can the change from vegetable sugar to starchy 
products of no human food value be checked, hence in the future the easterly half of Long Island will be 
relied upon to furnish the freshest milk, vegetables, fruits and flowers for the New York market. 

The Long Island Railroad, continually anticipating the need of growers, is increasing its express 
service and runs special trains to carry freight cars of vegetables on standard passenger train schedules 
from growing localities to markets. In 1906 its special service placed vegetables in the hands of city 

75 



consumers insiile of four hours after ihcy were packed and sliipped from a distance of nearly sevenlN 
miles. 

Ill 1!M)."> the frei>;lit shipments of vegetables by rail ahme amounted to: l)erries, i'.i'l tons; eauli- 
flower. 10,07 ."> tons; piikles, '-.'O.iHIii tons; potatoes, ')'.i,~H Ions; r<'(|uiriiiK :!.^.»0 frciglil cars to transport 
this large \ ield to market, where the growers secureti for potatoes, cauliflower, asparagus, cabbage, i 
celery, etc., etc., prices ranging from ten per cent, to forty per cent, above those offered for the sami.- 
varieties raised elsewhere. 

The expre-ss .service handled 3, .'500 tons of cauliflower, 375 tons of lima beans, 100 tons of Bru.ssels 
sjjrouts, 175 t«)ns of peaches, 450 tons of tomatoes. 

Herewith Ixmg Island data of yield per acre compiled from carefully kc|)t records extending ovei 
a number of years: 

I'Or.VTOKS. — l\)tatocs yicM per acre 200 to 400 bushels; average ])ricc 75c. per bushel, varying 
from 50c., when bulk of crt))) is marketed, to §1.50 and ^i for early and for potatoes kept into the winter. 
The average gross return |)er acre is $225, cost of production !i(5(i.50, net jjrolit §!()!) per acre. 

C.MIdFLOWKR. -Long Island alone can grow this delicacy in large (luaiitities in the open air. 
the natural preri])itation making this pt>ssible. This <rop requires care, but protected and blan<-lic(l 
its llowerct-formcd head nets a profit per acre averaging c^ver $200. 

('.\nB.\(;K. — .\verage twenty-two tons per acre. Price from $8 to $20 per ton. Kasy to grow 
gather and pack. One grower netted $035 from three acres. 

C.\BB.\(JK SEED.— One of Long Island's specialties, being the biggest producer, nets over $MHi 
per acre. 

CELKHY. Long Island grown frequently commands a prcmiiiin. .\et ])rofits vary widrl 
from $;iOO to $1000 according to the care given the croj). 

HUISSELS Sl'UOl'TS.— Cost to grow $30. Yield frecpiently over 3.000 quarts of minialui • 
cabbage-heads per acre, which sell at 10 to 30 cents per quart. Average net return ')f>'i5.'> \ht acre. 

.\SI*.VU.\(irS. — fields for thirty years, but good business policy dictates renewal after ttn 
years' erop|)ing. Profitable crt);) after three years. Average yield [)cr acre 2,500 bunches. N'alue 
12,' 2 to 25c. per bunch. Net yearly return for 10 years averaged over $550 ])vr acre. 

l-IUrr."^. — Long Island has dcvclo|)ed many famous strains. The Newtown pippin was valued 
.so highly that in 1758 England exemj)ted this pip|)iii from the payment of duty. 

PEARS have nettetl from $(iOO to $800 per acre. 

(iri.\( ES especially adapted to the island, $1,500 being secured by one grower from a single acre 

PEACHES do well, especially on the hills. 

PLLMS. — The Japanese varieties thrive marvelously, i)aying the third year a good margin. 

SM.\LL KIUTTS. — Goo.seberries yield 200 to 400 bushels |)cr acre, cost to raise and market 50c 
per bushel, bring $3 to $4 jier bushel. .Vverage net $000 per acre. 

CU11K.\NTS. — .\nnual yield sure and extremely heavj', two to four pounds per bushel, fi' 
qiiently net $;{00 to $400 per acre. 

MLACKHEKKIES AM) RASPBERRIES thrive well and return upwar.l of $300 per acre. 

STRAWIUIKRIES yii-ld heavily, as high as $800 per acre having been secured. 

( RANMERRIIvS. — Long Island crops rank very high, yield over 200 crates per acre; value ■'r 
and u|iwar<l per crate. . 

(iR.MMOS.— .\t present grown mainly for home use. Thrive splendidly and would |)ay well. I 

SEEDS, PLANTS AND BULBS.— Eloral growth has proven extremely successful on the islaaJi| 
and growers of specialties as well as a g»'neral line are exceptionally prosperous. '* ' 

It is not always possible to .see ourselves as others see us, but the case of the Long IslamI R;iiln>ad - 
Experimental .Slati<in Number 1 at Wading River, proves the exception to the general rule as the follow 
ing extracts from letters written by prominent men will attest: 

.\iiiiiiiK llif plco-saiit ri'collections Itiiil I carried iiwny arc tlic impressions of llio p^ssiliililiiy that lay <i<>riiiaiil In Id 
w>-cnllril "s<'riili iiaK waste " lanil. It was a revelation in several respects. I wils (jreatly surprised at the character and nain 
of the soil, espeiially the .S ' j-foot loam section your cellar shows overlying one of the most perfect licds of ({ravel lus an iiinl' 
■ train that I Inive ever seen. What yon have done in less than a year on the so-called '"waste lanils" is convincing priHif lli 
all this section nei'ds is inlelliKenl manaKement and lianl work to liriiiK out the latent possiliililies in vejjetalile and fruit Rrowin 
'l"he cliaracler of the produiLs I saw on your place was most Mlriking. I have never seen a hi'tter showing of alfalfa or a ni" 
profuse growth of corn than you have at the present time. Your alfalfa plot, particularly the one ou which soil from an i' 
alfalfa (ic-ld wa.s used for inoculation is a won<ler. 

The work you are doing will certainly have a far-reaching eflecl in practically demonstrating the missiliilities of vegetal' 
nnd fruit growing in that Hcction. Your method of clearing land liy hlowing out the stumps with dynamite is unique ui' 
interesting. This method will be of great value to others. I'uoK. W. Vi. Jdiinson, 

.August 15, 1006. Editor, The Amrrictin .ti/ricuUuri' 

Orange, Judd Co. 

All were surprised at the wonilers of your farm work ami will talk alioul it for months to come. The "Home Ilain|M r 
i» an excellvnl method of packing and is u fine method of shipping the splendid vegetables raiseil at Kxperimenl .Station Number i 

('iiMii.i-->* K. SiiKrAun. 

Aujfusl 10, 1000. Ivlitor, liroiMyn Daily Kagi 

\'',\\ lould not have secureil a better truck and garden » lil if you had excavated anil inaile it to order. The ilemnn 
• trillion yi.u m.idi in growing such a variety of first ((uality garden crops in one short season on wild suit and without chemi' 
Irrtilitrr 1 cuiMili-r nothing short of marvelous. 

I »m es|.. . I ,||y graldied at the fine showing of alfalfa nnd forage crops. You have demonstrated not onlv the ixissibilil. 
but the r«»r «illi^ l.ieh <lairy herds may be maintained by the soilini^ svstem on soils always consideretl too liglit and poor foi 
iiieh purposes. Th.- prnl.leni of nn ademinte milk supply for New ^ ork City becomes more acute each year nmi the opening 
of ■ vast territory of production within two hours' dislsncc of this great market, in u section" hitherto i-»)nsidere»l 
iinpoisiblr, should prove a maKni&cent opening for the Hairy iotrrest. CoL. F. E. I)(>nsti:i;i., 

Augu«t 15, IWHI. Editor, forOTintf.DoubliMlay, Page* Co 

7« 



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1- *'*^* ^ 








M' '^z ^ / 



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UrusiclU SprouU —picking ami packiiij,' 
A crop gathered when all other crops are done 



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Vou Imvr (Irlivcri'il tin- k<><><I''' Look Island w<H><J ashrs ami Viinkre niufirlr ami bruins ili> wurk niirucle!!. 
July ii. lUOO. Walteu S. Fi snei.u 

Editor, UrooUyn Daily Timrt 

Sqiiaxhrs nnd nicunitirrii arrivrd, meioni vrtrt Rrrat. You an- rcrtuinly producing the good*. 

August 1, 1000. Col. A. G. Peacock, 

Editor. iV. r. Herald.' 

I rxport to inilnlt;r in nn olil-fushionot country dinnrr wlion I gel houir. You are a bigger an<l a liotter farmer than 

llormi- (Irceley evrr w».«. Jons .\. Si'ticiieH, 

August i, IWW. Editor. Lralie Heekly 

I'ri-sidcnl. Judge Co 

I was very nnirli surprisi-d to sro wliat a lino lot of vr^tclalili-s you have raisc-d on wliiil appan-nlly was unpruduclivi 
•toil. I think that the cxprrinii-nt niadf liy thr I<ong Island llailroail was a very wise om-. I have cnjoyrd natchint; the progrei*. 
and devrlopnient of this undtTlaking and I fi't-l sure that whrn the people know how productive the miil is and how c<inipar«- 
lively easy nnd econoniieal the land can be cleared there will be many who wish to acipiirc good farm holdings within e&sv 
iHtxiw of the city of New York. 

Hruoklyn, August 1^. 1!>00. Ji DciK Wm. J. YoUNOs 

The work of the Experimental Station is very interesting and edible. 

September 17. 1000. Lkwih Wii.ey, 

Adv. Mgr.. Sew Vork Timet 

The tomatoes were delicious. The first really good tomatoes I had this sumtner. The novelty of real sugar ci>rn wa- 
aUo deliKhtful to the palate. The radishes were .sound ami crisp, the beans fine and the potatoes about as |H-rfect as any I 
have eviT I'aten. 

'I'heri- are many who wouM appreciate the opportunity to get really fresh vegetables. I think there is an espi-cinily 
KihhI opening in New York for real sugar corn and real lima beans. You have the a<lvantage and can coniniund a higher price 
for the real thing, which is almost impossible to gel in the market or even from the fancy greengrocer. 

September 15, lOOtt \Vm. Wibt .Mii.i-s, 

Editor, .V. }'. Krening Mail 

The hamper containing the very attractive samples of your products was duly received. It is work in the right directiou 
.iml, systematically pursued, cannot fail to prove of lasting benetit not only to the promoters but to the coniniunitv at large. 
August 0, 1000. K. V,'. Sanhohn, 

Editor, The Horld 

The melons were line, Grsl-cia^s, in fact, anv term im|>lying excellence mav justly be applied to them 
September 18, 1900. " S. W. Cooi-ek, 

Editor, Brooklyn Daily Eaglf. 

It is needless to say that the contents of the baskets were used and enjoyed, which is not surprising in view of the fact 
that the entire conti'nts of the biuskets were the products of the finest land in the world. I always have been a great believer 
in l^ing Island ami felt that all it needed was a .show. \Vm. Holmes, Ju., 

August 0. lUOU Bus. .Mgr., .V. K. 7Vm. 

If you arc going into the business of furnishing "Home Hampers" I will be able to get you some customers. 
August I, 1000. Wm. a. DKKRiva, 

.\dv. Mgr., .V )'. Sun. 

The "firstlings" of the crop came ilnly to han<l and were highly appreciated. Will yon kindly permit me to thank 
you heartily for the token of your skill jus a tiller of the soil and the proof it aftordcd of the availabilitv of l»ng Island soil. 
June li, 1900. F. Danna Kkko, 

Editor, Brooklyn Daily Eaijl 

I am exceedingly interested in the excellent report concerning the alfalfa cxperimcnU. I think the alfalfa has ma! 
a iiiost excellent showing. That the results speak well for the possibilities of alfalfa upon this type of Long Island soil wlw 
given careful treatment, which appears to be essential. J. W. WivsTiiATE, 

.September 13, 1000. .\sst. .Vgrostologist, U. S. Dept. Agricultnr. 

From the standpoint of development one of the most important features of the year's work is the practical ili'monslratioi 
made by the l-ong Island Itailroad ('onipisny through neighbor Fnllerton and his able assistants that the wild lainls of SulTolk 
may be niaile to produce as good fruits, vegetables and fodder as any man need desire. The theory of "waste lands" on Ixmg 
Island is knocked higher than a kite. The way is opened for truck farms, fruit farms, dairy farms and every other kind of 
a farm in a region which lui-s heretofore been left to the uses of the rabbit, the deer ami the wild birds. 

— Uncle Jerry Wockcrs, in The County Review. 

TliL- jilj()v»' arc from rrjiresentiitive men, and prove conclusively tliat the Long I.sland Railroad^ 
l''.x peri mental Station Number 1 produced, within one year of elearinf;, liigli-f,'rade crops. Tlie publicit.N 
t'iven tlii.scirorl to put the .so-called "waste lands" in aconrlition to lake their |)roper place in the world- 
work of yielding' their full (|Uf>ta of revenue has been so successful, that development is now under way in 
various sectinns, and antieipaf inf^ the rapid (level(>piM<'iil of tiie thousands of acrivs of uiuised land on 
l-oii;; I.slainl aloiij; af,'ri<ultur,il lines, the Long Island Railroad ('oini)aiiy has in hand plans for aidini: 
ui the i'slal)li>hin<iit of a produce market where trains from each divisitm of the railroad can be nui direct . 
nnd thus furnish (piiek .service and an adequate distributing point for the handling of products whicli 
will be grown on Long Island .soil. 

.Most clearly does the following editorial sum up the situation and show the motive underlying- 
the Long Island Railroad's demonstration of the Islanil's "waste Ian<ls" fertility. 

f^den and Arcadia at Home 

f'onimentalors are not, even yet, nil agreed upon the location of the Garden of Eden, nor is the local habitation of cIilsm 
Arcadia as clear a.s the u«socintions which surround the mime. I'ntil quite recently, though, no one, even the most lenrnwl n: 
nsliilr, entertained any serious suspicion that either of thi-si- inviting or historic localities belonifi-d to U>ng Island. Within 

the last few months, however, a movement Iiils been in g 1 faith begun by long-headed, practieaTbusiiiess men. few. if any. •<! 

wliorii . .,Ti Im ,11,1,1 .1,.,! of idealism or riiinbow chasing, which may end by the demonstration that the IslamI on which we livi 

■■» so little, has in it |H>ssibilities which may yet make it the garden and beauty spot of tin- entire .Vllanti 

'lie whole country. Three c|iiarters of a million aen-s of as fair land as lies ontdiMirs oilers inviting, alnio- 

■.■■ experiment; the eiitnnierciid environment is complete -that is to say, the markets and the money rewar.l 

■ the appeal which is both the beginning and emi of the most of the activities of mankind is dire«'t nti 

.ilioM of what have heretofore been rei'ardeil by the lazy and iiidilTerent as merely liarren wastes is alre«•l^ 

' lii.i ., Iiolh for immediate and renuite development, with the greatest ami most insatiable markets of tl; 

**.'"''' t^ ''' idy to pay even the highest prii es for everything which the soil can proilui-e. Never, perhaps, li.i 

n grrnt imli. i, .,f unbounded possibilities and reiudiing iiilo the far future lieen more advantageously begun Ih.i 

tills ri>r the 1. _ 1, ullurnl l^mg Island. EverybiKly know.s that the real estate bo<im which has inflated vahu-s on tie 

western end ..( Uk KUnd. almost to the bunting or breaking point, must sooner or later meet the inevitable, but for the work 




Japanese Udo: a winter luxury. Pe-tsai: the delicate Chinese Cabbage. Witloot 
Chicory, or Barbe de Capucin: a Belgian Salad 



which U now, for thr first time, bring lerioiuly undrrtakrn no auch condition attachea, no >uch future imprndi. Intensive 
fiirniinK i» the order of the day everywhere. The cream of the Western prairies has been skimmed, with the demonstration 
lliat ten ncreit, or even live, are enough; the trolley ami the telephone have put an end to rural isolation; the cliff dwellers of 
I lie skyscrnpcrs of the great cities are tiiiding more and more every year the disadvantages of their environment, and the tendency 
lo rtturn to mother earth, to live close to nature grows stronger. 

Apart, iiiort-over, from the immediate and local interest in the undertaking which is to transform the greater part of the 
1-Iniid, to change what the uninformed and the indifferent have reganled as ileserts and barrens to blooming and fertile fiehls, 
I he movement deserves attention, both from its economic and political a.spects. The difficulties of real republican goyernment 
in these mngested human centers, the problems of administration, sanitation, eilucation, and all that goes to make up life are 
the most serious, (he most perplexing with which the civic adiiiinistnition of the present day concerns itself; and no solution 
has yet been found to compare, in anv degree, with that of distribution of the people in homes of their own, supported by 
their" own labor ui)on the land. If the t^ing Island experiment docs nothing else than to spread out among the rolling, pictures- 
(|ue hills and dales of the north shore; the broad inviting plains of the central Island, or the breezy expanses of the southern 
(Mast, even a fraction of the people who may, in these surriMindings, find prosperous and happy homes, it will abumlantly 
justify itself The pulilic learns onl v bv object lessons, ami one like that which L<jng Islan<l offers tlic opp6rtunity and the reward 
will not long go uiiheeiled, certainly in the entire Atlantic coast chain of towns and cities. 

Another factor which should not be overlooked in the m vement is the close and direct co-operation of capital. Indeed, 
the corporation which furnishes transportation to the Island, i. .-?ally the genius of the whole undertaking, working out the 
practical details, gathering information and prosecuting experin nts at its own cost, handling its trains and even extending 
its lines, all for the benefit ami advantage of those who co-operate with it and whi> primarily receive the benefit of the develop- 
ment. It hiLs been sometimes said that it would have been a good thing for the Pennsylvania if it had liought the Island when 
it bought iJie roaii. It may turn out to be better than that if it deveiops the Islan<i and so gives to the owners of its lands, 
both small and great, share and share alike, the unearned increment, the inevitable advance in value which must come from 
the change in the condition, the use and the product of the lands. In other words, while Congress, commissioners ami courts 
legislate and wrangle over railroad rates, the corporation most directly concerned sets an example by lending its capital, its 
services, uiid its eiilhusiiusm in promoting a project which must give to its beneficiaries far greater and more permanent advan- 
tage than it possibly can to the railroad itself. Mr. Hill, perhaps the ablest railroad administrator living, worked this all out 
long ago, in liis Northwestern development. The Long Island adopts the same principle, with methods modified to suit the 
conditions, and it is only reasonable to anticipate that what has been done on a large scale and upon thousands of square miles 
of prairie may be repeated, even more profitably, at our own doors and upon the plains of Ix>ng Island. 

The incident illustrates, again, the old maxim that "the Lord helps those who help themselves," and that those who are 
looking for the chance to do something usually are able to find work close at hand. Perhaps, also, there is a side light on the 
much discussed municipal ownership idea. If anyone believes that the agricultural development of Long Island could be 
accomplished in any other way than that by which it has been undertaken, the experiments of municipal bridge operations, of 
tunnel construction, of street opening, and of public buildings, go very far toward demonstrating a negative. The corporation 
and the public are abumlantly able to meet each other half way, at least, in their own interests, and anyone who will take the 
trouble to study the methods and the policy recognized between the railroad and the people of the Island will see an excellent 
illustration of the practical, common sense way of doing things. Taken in its large sense, the experiment of Long Island, 
though now in the <lay of small things, in its very beginning, is one of which a great deal more will be heard which will warrant 
tlie careful study and attention of those who undertake to read from events and from social and industrial changes their laws 
and lessons, as well as of those who are merely looking for a good thing, for a chance to get rich, not quick, but certainly. 

— Editorial, Brooklyn Standard Union. 

This broad gaiipe article written by Mr. Herbert L. Bridgman, editor, explorer and philanthropist, 
is a.ssurfdiy a fitting finis. 




Off for the morning train 




The Homestead at No. 2 in 1909 



Aftermath 



IT is now three years since "The Lure of the Land" was written and we are nearing the close of the 
fourth year of Experimental Station No. 1. 
These four years have been overflowing with varied successes. The land becomes more 
tractable each year, the small fine roots disappearing and forming humus, which, of course, makes 
cultivation easier, and the planted rows much straighter. 

Peace and Plenty's second summer saw it planted to as many crops as the first year, each plot of 
land was of course planted to a different kind of vegetable; that is crop rotation and the only sensible 
course to pursue. Each type of plant growth takes from the soil a predominance of one kind of plant 
food, another type of plant the following year takes of another element, giving the soil a change — which 
means to all of us — rest. 

The balance of the dairy plot had been blown free of stumps, and this new land was planted to 
corn, alfalfa and potatoes. The alfalfa experiments were with various kinds of seed, no laboratory 
inoculation as we had proven soil inoculation the only rational method. There was seed from Mon- 
tana, Canada, Dakota, Colorado, New Mexico and from Provence, France, and the Montana grown 
proved to be the best of all. The other fields were so poor they were plowed imder and used for 
growing vegetables the following year, and the crops proved in a most marked way the value of 
this plant as a " green manure." 

The orchard made brave growth and was sown to crimson clover early in the fall as it had been each 
year; that is the only fertilizer the trees have had except a small quantity of wood ashe-s around the 
trunk to head of borers and other pests. 

The tliird summer saw the fields in still better condition with one or two exceptions. The 
onion yields had been so fine it was deemed wise to plant two acres to them, and the fifth and sixth 
acres on the left-hand side of the middle road (if you can picture them in your mind) were laid aside 
for this crop. 

The Senior Partner said to Mike (who, by the way, is still foreman and whose family now numbers 
eight, "Peace" and "Nettie" having made their appearance on this planet of ours), "I want to try 
some experiments here with onions. First disc harrow that land just as soon as you can go on to it. One 
half acre has crimson clover on it and the rest was not winter covered; cut that clover all uniler and don't 
put any manure or anything else on it. On this part put 400 pounds wood ashes, and on this part 
1,000 pounds of the special onion fertilizer you are so crazy to try." 

' ' All right, I\Ir. Fuller', I do him, you see. I think fertilizer he be best, onion he big feeder. " 

" I know he is a big feeder, Mike, but I am willing to bet dollars to doughnuts that we get the best 
yield from the crimson clover." 

Mike "did him," "good and plenty . " He trebled the dose of wood ashes, so that most of the crop 
was burnt up as fast as it germinated; as for the commercial fertilizer, the onions withered and died with 
the first dry spell. There was chemical food in the ground but nothing to hold the moisture to 
make it available. The crimson clover patch yielded a good crop of fine onions. 

Whether Mike went "dopy" or the proposition was too big for him the tliird summer, it is hard to 



tfll; ill liny rv«Mit tin- farm lia<l llu- iiuol Kl«'ri<>ii> < rop i>f wtcils alon^' the fciufs and in some of tho crop- 
tliat anvtiiie loiild wi>li not Inset-. 1 am incliind to think tln' luinifn was too urcat for an nntrainod man. 
and tin- Senior I'arlner was k<'|)t closely in the office in Unntinfjtoii nearly all summer and couM not b« 
with Mike as much as we desired. This nncxpcctcd offict- has Ikh-h a cnrious devoloi>menl of farm work 
Tho "Lnrc of tho l^iml" hron^ht ns so many letters thai it was nocessary to add to the office force. Iii 
Ant;nst. I!>(t7. Mr. Peters ask«-d if we conld p-t ont a little leallet every other week or .so, nivin^; the work ' 
at tin- Kxperimental Stations, so that people who liad liecouK' interested in the "Lnre of the Land' 
could follow tho farms in their growth. The Senior Partner '"lowed" that he could and in three days.seni 
tiielirst copy of "'I'iie Loiij; Island Af,'n>iiomist " on its life's mission. Kvery two weeks since then th< 
little leallet has j;one j,'ratis to anyone who wants it. It is now in the i)ef,'inninK '>f it^ third year and 
j;(K's to every Slate and 'i'errilory in the I'nion anti <'very country in the f;!oJ>e, niimherinK «»ver 
7,.")<M) copies each issue. More oflice work to keep Ihe Senior Partner away from tlie farms! .\nd a- 
a pn-cious litth- son had come to keep me busy, 1 was of little or no use as a farmer. 

In .\u^'Ust, Mike was told he would have to do hotter another year or we would have to put in a nev 
foreman, lit- has <lone phenomenally bettor and this year we an<l he are proud to have anyone see the 
farm at any time. 

This year there have been maf;ni(i<ient crops of corn, potatoes, cMcuml>ers, cauliflower, pumpkin. 
Iiools, beans, carrots, rliubarl), onions, Brussels sprouts, linochio, s(|uasli, spinach, lettuce, all kinds 
of melons, tomatoes, okra, kale, marlynia. cfi^'plant, Swiss chard, cal>baf,'e and alfalfa. \ new aon 
of alfalfa was planted in June after we had purchased seed from every .seedsman we could find who 
handled il, and had them all t<sted for purity and ^'eriuination by the State and National de|)artmentsof 
.Vgrioulturo. There were but two lit toi)lant, the rest containing; enormous quantities of dangerous weed 
seeds. 

Knowiiif; that we purchased weed seeds with the alfalfa, we decided to sow the st-ed in drills 12 
inches apart. .\lso knowinj; that one cannot spend too much time in the preparation of the soil for a crop 
which will last so many years, the field was first disc harrowed four times each way, then s|)ring loot! 
harrowed, then leveled, tlion rolled — the latter to compact the soil so that there wouhl bono air .spar, 
about the roots. 

As we are still going light on "Peiinsy millions" and did not have a grain drill, we opened a furrov 
with the Planet Jr. Mike's eldest son followed, .sowing soil from the old alfalfa field right in the furrow 
and the Planet Jr. drill coming behind dropped the seed in the inoculatid soil and covered il over. This 
is the finest Held we have ever .seen; it has been cultivated with the Planet Jr. twice and the weeds have 
boon pulled out three times. This is a simple matter for it means walking up and down tho rows, pull- 
ing out an occasional weed. The field has been cut twice, yielding 1,5UU pounds first cutting and i.iiW) 
pounds tho second. 

Another acre, where early potatoes wore harvested, was sown in the .same manner in early Septem- 
ber; it is doing just as well, but our experience has been that late sowings do not get sufficient root hold to 
withstiind the heave and thaw of winter. 

Over in the dairy i)lot where the \'irginia horse tooth corn grew the first year, a big crop of lima 
beans was gathered last year. With tho last cultivation crimson clover was sown, as is the custom with 
every crop wherever practicable each year. This Spring the fine tall stand of clover was tlisked under, 
and no other fertilizer whatever was u.sed. Cabbage and Hru.s.sols sprouts whore planted there and it is 
the finest field of cabi)age il has ever been my i)loasure to behold. Tho total cost of fertilizing this crop for 
one year was i^l.'Jd. Kvory cabi)age and every sprout plant is perfect, the field_running way ove- 
normal in point of evenness of jicld. 

It has been our custom to plant anything which we have boon told will not grow in this latitud< 
.\mong those tried this year wore (iii)ralter onions, more commonly known as Bermuda or Prizetak< i 
onions. In order that the experiment might 1)0 complete, the Senior Partner said lo Mike last winter 

"In early March sow .some of this .seed in the cohl frame, and sot the young plants out as soon' a 
you can, then sow the rest of the seed in the open, the .same as the other onions." 

".Ml right, Mr. I'uller'. I see you think it not hot enough here for these onions. I sow them in 
hot bed -he be all right." 

Orders were followed ;ind both sowings of .seed have matured their crops, but the field sown seed an 
.slightly larger than tlio.so transi>laiited from the cold frame. The latter matiin'd earlier, while the field 
.sown grew larger after the usual Summer's dry spell and matured in late Sei)teml)er. These yielded at 
the rate of 1,0:J;> bushels to the acre. They measure •iS to the bushel and average •£ pounds each, .soni> 
weighing as heavy as iJ?.j pounds, running from Ki'j to l!)'^ inches in circumference and averaging ^ 
inches in thickness. Neodle.ss to say they will be planted in (juanlily at both stations next year, in 1!)10. 
Our friend, Profe.ssor Watts of Penn.sylvania State College, .says ho purchased two onions about this sire 
for 3.5 cents. 

The Japane.se Udo has exceeded all our expectations; the Summer growth is 10 fwt antI tho wini 
.shoots arc large, strong and tleliciously tender and inviting. l*e-Lsai, the Chinese cabbage, this ye.i. 
headed marvelously and is a most attractive delicate head of gre<'ns either cooked or raw. .\mong Ihe 
newcomers on the farm this year is the South .\frican pipe gourd or "Calabash. " The gourds gro\v 
with great en.sc to perfoetion and the following incidi'nt occurred just before Fair time this year. 

"Kliot" (who is one of the edicient. enthusiastic, willing, faithful, oflice force) "go into a big pi| 
denler's in New ^drk an<l ask them to fit a mouth-piece an<l band to this pipe. Bert [another member 
said office font-, who, by the way, never know whelher they are oUiee men or farmers from <lay to da 
work carrying them .so much from one to the otlu-rl cut the end off with a hack saw last night, aii' 
s<-ooped the inside out ] want to show il mounted at the Fair besi<le a gourd as it comes from the field. 

That iiiirht Kliot came ba<k with this tale. 

"I took it to tho store on Broadway you spoke of and the clerk looketl at me kinti of (lUiH-rly and 
a.sked where I got it. I told him we rai.st-d it <»n Long Lslaiid and he said I was crazy, they were all 
imported from South .\fric;i and were dreadfully expensive. I Inid him that might be. I)ul I saw tlr 



iy ^i..»y; i c <^- 




Low-headed Japanese Plum, three years'afterr'planting 




Japan riunis from three-year-old trees 



Dill- firowinj: in tlu- ficMs. He asked mr to wait until tin- mnnnRpr f-amo in, wliicli I did, and li<- was 
f(|nally skcplicai almnl ni.v story, Imt finally 1» licvcd nic wIhm I told liiin alioiit the work of tlie Kx- 
|><Tinu-ntal Stations, lie wanted to know liow many we had and if wu cuuld supply him with auv ,, 
more. I told him we had a few and 1 thonjjht yon w«tiild >;row more next year. lie is going to writt | 
to yon ahont them and would not take any pay for mounting' this one." ' 

".Ml ri>;ht," .said we, "a new i^dn^try for I-onj,' Inland and another point seored for the Experi- 
mental Stations anil waste land." 

"Suj;ar pinnpkins" and "era/.y scpiash" from Italy are hoth new and extremely >;ood. Finoehio, 
the Italian .salad plant, grows to p<Tfeetion and matures a line crop of seed. These seeds are used nuirh 
in the culinary delicacies of the Italians, while IIk- h-af and stalk are used as flavoring for soups and salads. 

.\ new sugar corn, Hurpee's "('atawi>a," .seems to outclass (iolden Hantam.for tendi-rness and 
sweetness. In field corn IVdrick's "IVrfected" .seems to lead all others in (juality and evenness of 
yield. 

The orchard gave samples of fruit the third year, all .samples were of the very liighest quality both 
as to flavor and color. The fourth year a late frost caught many hlossoms, hut what fruit there was, 
was marvelous for size and color. I have never .seen such color on peaches ami pears; IJartletts, as 
large and handsome as anything ()r<"gon or California can |)rodiice, with a flavctr that these |)laees 
ciitmol put into fruit no matter what the growers do. Tin- f|uinces are excellent, .\pricots and nec- 
tarines l)oth set fruit and nearly matured them, then for some un<'X|)lained reason they shrivele<l and 
fell. I hope w<' can soUc this m.vstery. The trees are all low h<'ailed and are ke|)l well sprayed. There 
is not a sign of .San Jose scale, the principal fight is with horer. .\n emulsion of Carholineum. soa|) and 
water recommended i)y Dr. Thome of the Ohio Kx|)eriment Station, was used this year with great 
success. It was sprayi'd on the tree trunks only and the hark is now in excellent shaj)e and the horers 
nmeli less immerous. 

The "Home Ilami)er" came to stay; the demand grows each year and now liolh farms are kept 
husy ])acking and shipiiing to fill the orders. There has heen no advertising of them outside of a notice 
in one issue of the " .\gronomist." Kach ham))cr is its own best advertisement; each new customer is 
pretty sure to hring two more. 

I.^isl winter we had an interesting incident. \ New York M. I), had heen receiving a weekly 
liamper (and from the orders which came through her recommendation we began to think she was 
prescribing \egetables from " Farm to Family Fresh" instead of medicine), .\bout January 1st we told 
her that shipments would have to cease as the crops were now reduced to a few winter roots. She 
re|)lie«l in a piteoiis letter begging us to continue, "even if you have nothing to .send but jiotatoes and 
cabbage. I cannot buy such delicious vegetables in the city." She lias now had a weekly hatn|)er for 
a year and a half if not longer, without interruption. 

Her Winter hampers have contained liberal ]>ortions of Witloof Chicory or "Barbe de Capucin." 
lettuce, radishes and \'omig onions. Her continued demand inspired us to renewed efforts with cold 
frames, and tlu' Double Siudight (dass Sash made it possible for us to sui)]>ly her, without any cost fm 
heating a|>]>aratus. These sash are one of the greatest inventions of the age. Thev are built in tin 
usual manner with the excei)tion of two thickne.s.ses of glass which are separated, forming a dead air 
space which holds the tem|)erature even, and holds in the hot bed or cold frame the heat stored up on 
e\cry bright day. 

The surplus i)roduce is still .sent to Commission Merchants, but always to hotels, restauratds ami 
clubs lirsl. We pack oidy fancy goods in a fancy style and it is still bringing the .same good ])riees. 

The horses, Texas and Huckeye are as soimd as a dollar. In \Miiter they are fed on alfalfa and 
in the Spring they come out fat, sleek and glossy and the farm has been offered .$350 for Texas, the sore 
fool«'d roman nosed b\iek-skin. 

The farm help has been about the .same. In the Winter Mike and his two boys tiike care of thing- 
.\s hot beds increase, so we can .ship hampers all winter, Mike will have to have one man to help liini 
In the Si)ring two Italians come to work all summer, and .\ugust 1st two more go on to helj) keep weed- 
from seeding, and .sowing the farm to ruinaticm; and harvest the cro|)s. September is given <tver {>• 
Fairs and all hands work night and day with that extra work during the harvesting time. 

The thini summer a young Hutger's college student worked on the farm in order to gain practical 
expcrii-nce. .\s f;dl dr<'w near the Senior I'artner said: 

"Well, Jim, have you gotten what you desired here? I am sorry I could not be with you more, 
but this Jonfounded ollice work keej)s me tied uj).*' 

"Indeed I have, Mr. Fidlerton," was the rejdy; "this summer has meant more to me than a whol 
term in college." 

This year a high .school .student gained |)ractical experience before he ami his sister and mollu i 
w<'nt to farming for their livelihood. 

It is one of our <lreams to be able to lake all the young men who ask to come to us (and theit 
number is great indeed) and give tliem practical «'X|)i'rience in the fields. Many a lad makes or break 
in his first ye.ir in the open; and wise counsel, good common sense and such conuadcship as the Senii> 
Partner can give are worlii much. I'erhaps our dream will be realized at llxperimental Statii'J 
No. i. 

Ia-\. us go over to Medford now, leaving "Peace and Plenty" true to name, more beautiful thai 
ever before, with the grove about the house i)lot growing so thick some trees will have to be thiiUK 
f>ut. the vines and bushes at home and luxuriant; with a .sen.se of .settled peace and comfort pervadin. 
the place. 

In pari IN , I spoke of Kxperimental .Stjition No. i. This was established because th«- wiseacre- 
.said: 

"Oh, it 1^ all right Fullerlon, you can <lo this kind of work and make things grow in this goo«l .soi 
of the North Shon-, but you cannot do it in the .sjinds of the center .se<-tion. That is burned over |)iii 
and there isn't two inehe.s of soil." 




Homestead and Water Tank at No. 2 



3»i*a5' 




. -^ ^^ .OLOi^ .-* 



No. 2's intercropping the 6rst year 



TluTfforc the worst ti-n atrt's on tlu- main lino wore jjirkcd out and they lie at Mcdfonl. '>i niilr- 
casl of Ni'w \ ork City. In ordt-r to ohtjiin 10 acros it was ni-ccssary to l»uy HO, but only ten wt-ro clt-arfil 
and d<'\<l«>|)cd as a niarki't ^'ardrn. 

TIk- |iorlai>lf liousi- nsrd at tin- Fairs was placrd on the honitvstwul jilot, a well liriven (and water was 
rcacln-d at (iS ftrt, f,'oin^,' to 71 feet to grt well into the vein), a lower built, another Secor engine in- 
stalled and barn erciled. 'IN-d's friend (Jeorgo Harrett with his wife and two small boys were placed in 
the portable, and the work of jjlanlinj; bepm. 

In di^iging a |)it in the bunk house to store the dynamite while clearing, we discovered to our 
surprise and joy that the soil was four feet deep instead of two inches. It is a lighter (more sandy) 
(|ualit\ than No. 1, but sufhcienl clay to form an iileal early market garden .soil and it is fully two weeks 
earlier, 'i'lu- drainage below is just as perfect as at Xo. 1, .so we had no thought i)ift that "Prosperity 
Farm" would e()ual " I'eace and IMenly." 

\Vc were sure this Uualily was an iileal fruit and berry territory, therefore we planted an acre of 
ui; hard trees, almost a duplicate of No. Is, with the exception of a predominance of j)eaches where 
No. I's orchard has a jjrcdominance of Ja])anese plums. Oiu'-half acre was i)lant<'d to currants (Fay's 
I'rolilic, Cherry and White) American goo.scberries (C"liam|)ion and Industry) and Knglish gooseberries 
^('rown HoIj and Whitesmith). One-quarter acre was j)lantcd to re<i, black and yellow raspberries, 
anil the following spring strawberries were set in the orchard rows. These plots were all cxpcrimcnUil, 
fur fruit bushes are cx|)cnsivc compared with seed an<l we must prove to other's satisfaction thai our 
idea of a berry farm was correct. 

Ted antl W;iller joined the Harretts and made llu' farm force of No. 'i. F'xactly the same procedure 
was followed as at No. 1. 'iVii tons of iiiaiiurc to the acre, wood ashes and some lime were the oidy 
fertilizers used. Kye was sown and turned under the next Spring, and the farm took its {)luce in the 
world in exactly the .same s|)lendid manner as tlid '"Peace and Plenty. " 

In the Spring one-half acre was planted to alfalfa. It was inoculated with soil from No. I's best 
field, and surprising to .say it surpassed the Mother field by a good deal. 

Ill order to secure a revenue from the land the currants, gooseberries and raspberries were occupy- 
ing, vegetables were grown between the rows of berry bushes. The same crops were raised as at No. 1, 
and the story of their success is best told by the fact that they tied with No. 1 in prize winning at the 
County Fair. The following year No. '■2 won more prizes tlian No. 1. 

Currants and gooseberries gave sam|)les the first season, great lu.scious berries of very firm 
<|uality, and our theory that this was preeminently a fruit country was proven correct. 

Therefore, the following Fall (1907), an acre was planted with red, yellow and black raspberries, 
reel, white and a few black currants. A half acre was planted with English gooseberries as we had 
succeeded in raising these berries to perfection, controlling the blight fairly well. We felt sure that 
earlier and more frequent sjjrayings w ith Bordeaux mixture would give us perfect fruit. 

In the Spring of 1!)0.S our first jjlantings of berry bushes gave a fine yield, the currants were 
exceptionally large and line flavored and met with an instant demanil. The raspberries anil .Vmerican 
goo.scberries did likcwi.se. 

The rest of the land was planted to regular market garden crops, with about one acre in potatoes, 
one-half acre in teosinte (which gave the horses green fodder all summer) and one-half acre in field corn. 

Two express horses, "Pennsylvania" and "Old Dominion" or "Pennsy" and "Dom" for short, 
were purchased for $75 each when the farm work started. They were fine big bays, but scratches on 
Pi ims\ and a bad fore kni-c on Dom made them not as fine a pair as Texas and IJuckeye. Good care 
ami watchfulness have kept them in perfect condition and they are a good team. 

in December, IDO.S, it had been decreed, that, as the 10 acres market garden had been such a 
-iicci-o. it was wise to clear the rest of the SO acre tract and take up farm work proper. 

Till had gone to an advanced ])osition at another farm, and Walter had gone to the city to learn 
his father's trade (silvcrsmitliing) and .Vlfrcd, another Knglishinan, had become George's helper; he 
was later replaced by Ilcmy Knight, an .Vmerican. 

l-ate in December we had two men come to us asking for work at the Kxperimenlal Station. The 
first to api)ly was an Al.satian barber, he wanted to get out of the confining work in the city, and he cer- 
tainly looked a,s though he would not be able to stand much more. He had a wife and twins five years old. 
\Nc tuld him the only work that .season was clearing land, for we had started to cut the standing trees 
and brush on the balance of the tract. 

"If you wish to go out and try it, Trai)pler, and sec if you want to slay, all right. If you do we 
will put up a portable liou.se just like the one already there and you can bring out the w ifc and children." 

".\ll right, .Mr. Fullerlon, 1 will go out on January 1st." 

lie dill go and in three weeks .said he would bring the family and stay i)ermanently. Con.se- 
(|uently a live-room |iortable was purchased and erected to the east of the barn among a few living 
oaks and |iines. 

The second man was a Melgian, l)oniinii|uc Ho(|uel, who said he wished lo learn .Vmerican methods 
befon- he and his brothers purclia.sed a farm. i 

lie was also lold that clearing land, the hardest kind of work, was all that presented at that .sea.son. 
I If took the i)lace, however, and workid like a trojan. 

.Vs Sj)ring advanced we noticed George Harrett was not keeping up his customary gowl work., 
but as .Mike had also let down some we thought (leorgc would brace up again, especially as we had 
i|e<iiicd to live on the farm ourselves this summer (I'JO!)). 

'ihe farm had never had us, except an occasional day's visit of a few hours duration. It had 
bwn conducted by voluminous written instructions and long distance telephone; we concluded, however," 
that this year ilu-oflice would have to be run in that manner and the farm receive our |>ersonal attention. 
.V five-room and two-room portable were purchased; the larger placed behind the tower and the smaller 
to the north and at right angles to it. This we called the "FIbow," one room was for our good Nettie, 
■•lio again took up farm life with Us.and t he other room, osten.sibly for guests, wa.s occupied all sinumerby 

80 



3 




No. 2's Orchard lu ISJU? 




First. Jtar ^iiuipies of 'Tine IJ.if; 



a liigh school lad who was undecided whether to take the agricultural course at college or not, and one of 
the office force. 

But my pen runs too fast! George had been given the farm plan'Jn the late Winter; we always 
make a farm plan, each plot laid out to certain crops so there can be no excuse for mistakes. Three 
days of careful verbal explanations accompanied this plan and the foreman was given the "reasons why" 
for every detail. 

There was to be no intercropping this year as the berries needed all the land alloted to them, three 
rows of strawberries could, however, be planted in the orchard rows without injury to anything. The 
southeast acre was to be put into strawberries, testing more varieties, and the southwest acre in potatoes 
to be followed by alfalfa, consequently was to be dressed with lime very thoroughly worked into the soil. 
The rest of the acreage was laid out to market garden crops. 

In May we had a request to take on our force a young Norwegian just landed, sixteen years old. 
We took him as we hoped to get considerable accomplished in the new land. We had concluded to try 
clearing by stump puller, such a howl had gone-up about the dynamite method. We succeeded in 
getting }.-i acre cleared free of stumps; this was cut up with a bog rotary harrow, disked and harrowed 
and planted without any fertilization ivhatcver, with various varieties of cow peas, soy beans and velvet 
beans. 

Holes were dug in about one and one-halt acres of the land that was cleared but not stumped, a 
little manure placed in the holes and melons, cantaloupes, squash, pumpkins and cucumbers planted. 
We wanted to prove whether these crops would net a return on partially cleared land. I can say riglit 
here they did not. It took much longer to spray, the brush (which seems to spring up over night), 
had to be cut about them, for the air drainage was not good. The plot was handicapped by two reasons: 
George, who was now foreman, had not seen that the earth in each hole had been tiioroughly tramped 
so the roots would have a firm hold, and the nights of this season were too cold for the good development 
of these crops. A small crop was gathered, but not sufficient to pay. 

In June our house was erected, the soil from the cellar (three to four feet under the surface) spread, 
some manure forked into it and on June 24th grass seed was sown. On one plot to the east of the house 
velvet beans were planted on this cellar soil, just to see if it was "pizen." 

The grass was up in a few days, and the lawn mower going the last of July. Now the lawn cannot 
be surpassed for thickness and richness of color. The velvet beans have run riot over the whole plot, 
the pods are formed but will not mature as they were sown so late. The nodules on the roots are great 
wads, each one a storehouse of our valued nitrogen. The cow peas and soy beans have grown tremen- 
dously and furnished the richest kind of humus on which to grow next year's crops. 

And the "pizen" theory of deep soil is once more exploded. 

Mrs. Barrett was to be cook for our family, Mrs. Trappier taking Henry, Domini(jue and Anon 
Gunderson (the Norse lad) to board. The Barretts had two more wee ones added to their family, 
"Prosper" and "Edith" so there were with our own little ones, and the twins, nine children on the farm . 

July 1st, the hottest of hot days, saw us move over. The painters had just finished the house, 
everything was at sixes and sevens, the baby resented the change, and life to me after the labor of 
leaving our home in "apple pie" order for summer occupants, was hardly worth living. A night's sleep 
in the dear little cottage where all the sweet night air blew in about us made the morning brighter. 

A survey of the farm sent us indoors with long-drawn, thoughtful, faces and the following con- 
ference between the Senior and Junior partners took place: 

"By gracious, I don't see what has come over George! This farm has always been the pink of 
perfection. We told him 'no intercropping' this year and look at those berries! Potatoes in the rasp- 
berries, beets, carrots and turnips in the currants, potatoes between the English goosebcny rows anil 
cabbage and peppers between the berry plants. Five rows of strawberries where we told him three, 
and peas and sweet potatoes between the strawberries! Ye Gods we had better plow the whole farm 
up and start over. This is a corker and I ought to be discharged!" 

"Steady there! This is a corker, but let's try to find the reason. There are many. First he 
has three men under him and he doesn't know how to direct the work and oversee it himself, he goes 
ahead and does a staving day's work and never sees what the other men are at. Next, the baby is little 
and maybe his wife has upset him some, she has a frightful temper. Next Dominique and TrapiJJer 
who are Socialists and Anarchists have probably been telling him how to do things." 

"You're right, there are many reasons; my main duty this summer is to teach George how to be 
a foreman." 

Just one week and it was evident Mrs. Barrett would never do as a cook, Ihougli heretofore slu> had 
always served us good meals when we went to the farm. The children were dirty and absolutely lawless, 
there was quarreling between them and the Trappier twins and things were anything but pleasant. 

The drought had enabled a brush fire, started and forgotten in the center of the island to the west 
of us, to spread and become a ravaging forest blaze, high winds swept it galloping over the country, 
threatening everything in its way. On July 4th all hands went out antl fought it along the west tire 
line which had been planted to corn (sweet corn, of all things), but never cultivated, and at this lime 
of all others, the i)ump rods in the well had parted leaving us unable to get water, and the irrigation 
had nearly drained the tank. 

That night our Medford neighbors responded well to our invitation to view the fireworks. They 
were gorgeous with a forest fire as a background. 

The night of the 5th a very bright blaze started up at the north of the 80 acre strip— which by the 
way is only 5 acres wide. All hands started out to fight it; in an hour we women folk knew how hot and 
tired they must be, so in our innocent hearts Nettie and I started out with a pail of water and a lantern 
across the scrub land. We walked it seemed for eternity, hallooing as we went. Finally we got a 
response and met them returning having protected the north bound by back firing. The tire went east 
and toward morning apparently died out. 

On the 6th the Senior Partner went to the Connecticut Agricultural College at Storrs to adtlress 



the summer class and I to IIuntiiiKtoii to pass on tlie final proofof the " Aniunomisl.'" I liaii lianlly 
settled to work wlw-n Nettie's voire eanie over tlie 'plione sayin^j: 

"Tlie forest fires have «onie up af,'ain ami are eottiitij; alonj; the l-'ast line, the incti are trying; to 
Imck fire un<l are playing the hose on the i)arn ami Trappier eottatje. The smoke is so bad may 1 take 
the children across the traek to one of I he vacant houses!'" 

" Vcs, indeeil. lake some food and milk for the hahy and I will i)c there just as cpiiek as I possihly 
enn. I will po hy the way f)f Tort .Icirersoti and drive over." 

"Don't worry, everything is all riplit only the smoke is chokinj,' us all." 

1 n-lurned ahoul ;{:^0 aiitl everything had settled ilown apain, the fire had heen close because the 
hiph witul drove it into the hiph trees and the i)nrninj,' li-aves and pine needles l)lew preat disUiDces. The 
prealest lipht was to save our next-door nei^,'hbors who are almost surrounded by woo<ls. 

I)ominii|ue !{oi|Uct was becoming restive, he was exjilaininp to us continually that everything; 
was <lone wronj,', that the Belgian methods were much the best and intensive, super-inl<'nsivc metho<ls 
were the only oins to follow. Here lay one po.ssiblc rea.son for George's disobedience to planting orders. 
I'inaily. one day in late .Iidy, he said: 

" .Mr. I'ullerlon I did not know I was expected to do hard work; I thought I was to go around the 
farm once a day and report what was growing." 

"Well, l)omini(iue, I guess .Mrs. Fullerton and I can take care of that. What did you think 
when you came out here to ch-ar land.^" 

"Well, anvhow this farm is all wrong and I lliitik I shoulil correct the errors." (He spoke good 
i:ngli.sh). 

"^'ou're right this farm is all wrong, it is one of tiie W(»rst farms I have ever .seen, and I am ratln-r 
<if the opinii)!) you are |)artly responsible for it." 

"Well, I can't stay and work like this any longer." 

".Ml right, the team is going down to the :{:;{(( train and you can go along." 

".Ml right, sir," and he prom])tly packe<l his Ix^longitigs, filled every box and sack he could find 
with grc<iis from his own little garden patch and dei)arted in |)cace. We have heard from him in many 
parts of the country since. 1 guess he is a rover by inslincl. 

.Mrs. Harrelt had become hysterical and was childishly unconlrollaljle; she W(>nt from bad to worse 
and we concluded she had all she could manage to lake care of her four small cliildnii. 

Mrs. Tra]>pler took us in until we could get someone else, and establish our dining-room in Henry's 
linusc, which was the cottage used at the Fairs in 1!)()8. 

In a week's time the back porch ha<l been enclosed for a kitchen andWalter Jayne (who had been 
helping the painter and who was out of work) and his young German wife came to us and were installed 
in this cottage. 'I'his necessitated Henry and Anon moving into the tower (which was to have been an 
(illicej and a g<ii<ral "all hands change." 

George was not improving, in fact was growing worse. Herry pickers — youngsters from Medford 
— were keeping us busy to superintend, and as each basket (pints for raspberries and fpiarts for goo.se- 
berries and currants) were lined with i)araffin paper, it was one jjcrson's task to fix the baskets. There 
w<Te signs of mutiny from George, which were encouraged if not absolutely inspired by his wife, so they 
were dismissed on .\ugusl first. It has been hard for us to realize that a young fellow who advanced 
so rapidly in his [)lai'e, who had the chance to l)(>come foreman of the SO acre farm, who could have 
risen to any height he chose in his ])rofessi()n. could become so utterly ruined by a little prosperity. 
The few conversations that Dick the eldist child, hail with the Senior Partner showed us that a misbiken 
ide.i <if jirospciily had uiisct them some time befitre. 

" Nir. I'ullerton," in his chililish lOnglish drawl, "when are you going home.^" 

" \\ h;>', Dick? I guess I won't go home at all." 

"'( 'ause we want to go out in our yacht, same as we did last summer." 

Yachting at I'atchogue, four miles to the south, was responsible for part of the farm ruin. 

"iMr. Fnllert(»n, we are going to have bicycles, me and 'Francy' and 'i*ros|)e'. They's going to 
be nid-r than Hope's. .\nd we's going to have a nice automobile, not an ohi one like yours. .\nd w«''s 
going to have lliree horses nicer than Dom and Pennsy." 

Such were the ideas being instilled into the minds of these i)t)or children, whose mother neither 
fed. clothed nor cle.-ined them |)ro[)erly. We often wonder whether George would not have prospered 
with a good, sensible level-headed wife, for away from her influence he seemed to be a fine felU)w. Oh. 
man is by no means to blame for all of the evils of this world! 

'J'he automobile story is too long to dwell ui)on. Suffice to say the one i)urchased for t)ur use 
between the farms which is \i miles by road and l.»0 by rail was unaljle to travel in the heavy sandy roads 
of the little n>ed territory lying between the farms and showed characteristics which .soon gave it the 
name ".Muil Turtle." A beautiful road mare, ])romplly mimed "Pomona," took its place; she covers 
till- distance, which is very hilly, in about two hours. 

Henry Knight, who was the senior worker on the farm, was promoted to foreman. He shrank 
much from the resp(insii)ilily, coupled with the fact that the farm was in such dreadful shape, but we 
urged and supported him ami he is making g<jod at every j)oint. 

Trappier next showed signs of mutiny. One cow had been placed in the dynamite >hed whiih 
had been nioveil near the barn. A second cow was purchased when a neighbor, whose .son met a Iragu' 
death. « .inu- and told us that she must get away to recover her balance and could not leave the <'ow with 
ii<r old fath<T. 

We held council. 

"What shall we do.^ .Neither of us is cow-wise ami we may get ilreadfully stuck." 

"I am Willing to take the risk if you are for the sake of this pi»or creature. If the cow is no good 
we can !>ell her for beef and you and I will be out of po( ket but the farm will not suffer." 

" ril go you," was the reply. 

.'^o ".Sandy" becnnie one «)f the connnunity, and the following Sunday gave us a daughter 



"Sunday." Sandy is all right and is a better milk and butter producer than "Wynde" who is a 
registered Guernsey. 

Trappier was given charge of the cows, chickens and pigs. He was the most pessimistic human 
being I have ever met. Being an anarchist he was of course an atheist, therefore there was no "mcum 
and teum" to him. The same lawlessness was instilled into the children, but as little ones are quick 
to "follow the leader" they became tractable and lovable while we were at the farm. As soon as we 
left they reverted. 

Many times we asked Henry if we should let Trappier go, and each time he wished to give him 
another trial. Finally rank mutiny and worse made it necessary to dismiss him peremi)tt)rily the last 
of September. His place was instantly filled by a high class Russian from the south of Russia. 

"Is he all right?" I asked the Senior Partner. "1 am so tired of these people who have come 
to us from charitable organizations and industry settlements, that 1 am skeptical about anyone now." 

"His eyes are fine and he has a good bearing. He is quiet and industrious and half starved. He 
has been working for a man who paid him almost nothing and fed him less. Before that he came out 
from the city with a contractor who owes him $200, but as the contractor puts all his property in his 
wife's name it is no use to sue him." 

"My, what hardship, and there seems no redress. Modern business methods sound much like 
the fall of Rome. I wonder what we are coming to!" 

My story has outrun me. We will have to go back to farm operations. 

Raspberries came in by the crate, GO pints to the crate. They were shipped to private customers, 
were put in hampers and went to commission merchants, restaurants, hotels and clubs. The smallest 
sum we ever received was 4 cents a pint. We paid one cent a pint for picking, and two cents a (piarl 
for gooseberries and currants. We picked 797 quarts of raspberries this season from three-ciuarters of 
an acre of bushes. This is their first heavy yield, and, as potatoes had been planted in the rows the 
berries received no cultivation. 

The English gooseberries had been sprayed very early in the season with Bordeaux and later with 
Sulphide of Potassium (or Liver of Sulphur) 1 pint to ,'50 gallons of water. There was a big eroj) of the 
most gorgeous fruit. The bushes averaged a quart each and these sold at wholesale for hi cents a 
quart. There was absolutely no mildew upon them, so we have fought our fight and won. American 
gooseberries were way over average, currants also and we could have sold bushels more than we raise<l 
to those who want them for preserving. 

The bushes had been so robbed of their feed by the intercropping and also by the fact that George 
had not placed the manure about them that he had been instructed to, that they were losing all their 
leaves. We took out the intercrops just as soon as we could, and in the meantime gave each bush a 
strong mulch of manure well forked in. This fall they have sent out new leaves, and are looking ex- 
tremely well again. 

The onion patch showed signs of thrip in June; this is a minute, I might say microscopic insect, 
which attacks the leaves. It unfortunately comes with our seed now, another inheritance from in- 
breeding and raising the same crop on the same land years in succession. Rain or moisture is their 
cure, so we determined to try irrigation upon them. 

A line of Skinner irrigation pipe was run down the middle of the patch. This clever system 
consists of a line of galvanized pipe starting from our main 1 inch in diameter and reduced in about 
two lengths to ^4 inches. Every four feet a hole is drilled with Mr. Skinner's ingenious hand drill 
which is fitted with a spirit level in order that holes will be in perfect alignment. A tiny brass nozzle is 
screwed into these holes with an outlet hole about the size of the point of a hat pin. 

Where the line of pipe joins the standard intake pipe, is a movable joint. This permits of the 
turning of the entire line of pipe (208 feet) so that the water spraying from the tiny nozzles may be made 
to fall at any desired angle. By turning the pipe so that the nozzles lie from nearly horizontal to per- 
pendicular, the entire surface of from 25 to 50 feet, according to the pressure of water, will be covered 
with a fine rain. Then by turning the pipe over to the opposite side another strip is watered in the 
same way. 

In order to see what the sprayings would do we used it only on one side of the line of pipe. The 
first spraying lasted 2)^ hours, two days later 13^2 hours. Then we had onions bulbing with tops turned 
green, while the unirrigated side produced only young bunch onions with yellowing tops. Whether 
the seed was mixed or George dreadfully or maliciously careless in planting we will never know; suffice 
to say we harvested five varieties of onions among the leeks. 

Another irrigation pipe in the alfalfa field made it jump so in two days w^e eoukl Ijcgiu cutting over 
again. One would expect the sprayings to improve the crop, but the rapidity with which it grew fairly 
took our breath away. A short line in a little patch of rhubarb made it possible for us to send this 
delicious fruit in our hampers nearly all summer. 

Another line at the east of the orchard gave us lettuce and si)ring radishes all summer. We hope 
to have at least 5 acres at each farm covered with irrigation pipes nex,t year. 

Among the new vegetables produced at No. 2 this year are superb Pe-tsai (Chinese cabbage). 
The heads were as solid as rocks and weighed 10 pounds. It is a new strain anil the cretlit is due to Prof. 
Myers who has been Agricultural Explorer in North China for the U. S. Department of Agriculture. 

There is a glorious bed of sea kale ready to produce next spring early, for use in the hampers. 
This is a delicate blanched stalk which can be used the same as asparagus and is delicious; it is ready 
much before asparagus and is a great addition to our food supply. 

"Second crop potatoes" are also a new stunt, and to Mr. Wm. Bodly, president of the Double 
Sunlight Glass Sash Co., we are indebted for them. It is a Kentucky trick; they hold the seed potatoes 
dormant in cold storage until late sunuuer. When planted they make extra rapid growth, and our 
crop of "New Queen" and "Cobbler" planted July 2l)th yielded 70 bushels to the acre of Bermuda 
potatoes on September 29th, just two months. 

Mr. Andre Bustanoby, of the famous Cafe and Chateau des Beaux Arts, says m a letter: "All the 



vegetables were up to the L. I. R. R. Experimental Stations standard, which means the best there are, 
but those Bermuda potatoes were particularly excellent." Higher praise than this, there is none! 

And so we add a new industry to our Island farmers' list. 

Let me say here, that the neighbors and others who first scoffed at us, who thought wc were "book 
farmers" and upstarts coming to tcacli us "who have farmed man and l)oy," liow to run our business 
and who looked on us as an insult to tliom, have all come or written thanking us for the real aid the farms 
have been, and now look upon them as their best friend. Need anyone ask now, "Have the E.\|)eri- 
mental Stations paid.''" Indeed yes, a thousand fold, in this way at least, if not in money, and they have 
|)aid a hamlsome percent of real money on the investment each year in spite of the great handicap of so 
much experimental work, a big office, salaried help and the "Agronomist." 

The orchard, this its third year, "did itself proud." One apple, a Yellow Transparent, gav(? us 
fourteen perfect specimens. This is remarkable for a three-year-old tree. The Japanese i)lums did 
very well, ('specially the Wickson, which is considered a shy bearer. The Burbanks were not so full of 
fruit excci)t an occasional tree, and the Satsumas developed a new and unheard of Ijlight which the 
Senior Partner dubbed "spectacle spot." Sulphide of potasium soon put an end to it, but the fruit 
was marred. 

The peaches, Ye Gods! what peaches. First to come were Greensboro, great, handsome be.iuties, 
with the flavor one dreams of but .seldom realizes, next came Carmen, also delicious; then ("hami)i(>n, 
Ht'lic of (Georgia, Crosby, Everbearing, Hill's Chili, Hemphill and Klondyke. Carmen and Cham])ion 
were sujx'il) from every point. Belle of Georgia very good and tremendously prolific, ('rosby. Hill's 
Chili, Klondyke, and Hemphill good, and as they ripen very late they are to be highly prized. We 
gathered peaches from the middle of July to the middle of October. 

The grapes — just a few set along the front walk as a trial — were so superb we have decided to set 
out :in acre of them. Some of them, with the peaches, won prizes at the fair and that speaks much, for 
they competed with old established vines. 

The varieties included Niagara, Delaware, Catawba, Brighton, Worden, Agawam, Salem, Wilder 
and Campbell's Early. 

This Fall the "Elbow" or little two-room portable which constituted a portion of our house, went 
to the County Fairs. As usual it was crowded with visitors, not skeptics, as we found the first year, 
but friends of ours, coming in the spirit of neighborliness to tell us of their successes and confer with us 
about their failures. 

The South African "Calabash" or pipe gourd (the gourds as they grow hung upon the wall, and 
a curved stem end of one fitted with a mouth-piece, forming the now "classy" and expensive pipe of 
the wealthy); butter from the alfalfa-fed cows, French musk melons, Japanese musk melons, Bermuda 
onions, Bermuda potatoes, Japanese pumpkin "Chirmeu," Catawba sweet corn, Swiss chard, lemon 
cucumbers, finochio, martynia, okra and Sakurajima radish, together with the superb fruit from the 
three-year-old trees and grapevines held the center of the stage. 

Both farms entered in competition at the Suffolk County Fair, and we were delighted when they 
were forced to take second and third prizes and step aside altogether in some cases. The farmers are at 
work, they are producing better goods all the time, and I think we may justly feel that the Experi- 
mental Stations have stimulated their ambition. No. 1 won 30 prizes, and No. 2, because of George's 
disobedience to orders won only 14 prizes. The exhibit of vegetables in competition was said to be the 
finest ever shown, while the judges were driven almost to distraction trying to decide which cauliflower 
was the most perfect of a host of perfect ones. 

Success was repeated at the Queens-Nassau County Fair, only for some peculiar reason fruits 
and vegetables alone are barred from competition if not raised in either of these counties. The little 
cottage in its pretty setting of oak trees was thronged each day. 

At the Anerican Institute, New York City, 8 prizes were won. Here the com|)etition is against 
estates and men whose entire income is derived from just such exhibits and who raise as many varie- 
ties as possible for exhibition only. 

At Huntington, where we were so unfortunate among our neighbors the first year as to be barred 
from c(.)miictition after we had entered in all classes, we won first prize on collection of (i vegetables. 
This was all we entered and I was surprised at the Senior Partner for sending anything at all, for one of 
iiis favorite sayings is "no sheep can bite me twice and live." 

As the clearing went so slowly last winter, it was necessary to get outside help to do it for us. 
There is an Islander who has, for a long time, claimed that he could clear land much cheaper and mucli 
l)elter with a stumj) puller than by dynamite. We determined to have it proven to us and therefore 
signed a contract with him to do the land at about two-thirds what it cost by dynamite, and the contract 
included the following item made at his suggestion, which was, that ten acres should be cleared, the 
stumps burned, the land plowed, harrowed, and seeded down to rye (we to furnish seed) in .'50 days. It 
is now CO days, and the stumps are partially out of about 2 acres, there is no plowing or harrowing done 
yet, in fact the remaining roots are so numerous it is almost impossible to plow. 

Dynamiters go in next week and we hope to have at least 20 acres ready for use next Spring. 

Tlie 30-foot fire line is now being cultivated with disc harrow to prevent Autumn forest fires from 
reaching the Experimental Station plot. This will be seeded down to rye for a crop next Si>ring. 

The two cows have lived all summer mainly on one-half acre of alfalfa. A little sugar corn in 
the fire line, and some of the tops of the cow peas and soy beans, have completed the green food for them . 
Now we start on a model dairy barn, just a small one to begin with, but so arranged that the herd can be 
increased with but little expense for additional building. The building will be of hollow tile, with stucco 
surface, all modern fittings; a silo nine feet in diameter with separate feed and wash-rooms. A inilk 
and butter house will be erected near by. This will also be concrete construction and the floor four 
fe(>t below the surface of the ground. ■". Ventilators'in both buildings will, of course, be installed. The 
stanchions will be of wood, painted with two coats and a third coat of enamel which will, we feel, make 
them germ proof. The floor, dropping gutter, and feed trough will all be of concrete; iron pijie slal 



fittings, overhead litter and feed carriers. Windows hinged at the bottom and swinging in will give 
good vonlilation. • 

Tlio farms liave lived their simple life; they have worked up from the simplest outfit inehiding 
houses, farm implements and small eori)s of help. They have prospered and "made good" and just as 
any man starling out in a simple way would hraneh out whi-n he prospered, so now the farms arc braneh- 
ing out. A manure spreader potato digger, and grain drill have been added to each station, more help 
for the increased acreage at No. 2, an<l now a homestead, a real farm coltagc! is to be go up on the home- 
stead plot for our occupancy. No. 2 will require most of our time, but No. 1 can be reached easily 
and quickly from it. 

The selling problem is being solved, the farms are gaining their market just as any business enter- 
prise would have to gain iLs market. Customers come to our doors, liotels, restaurants ami clubs ask 
for our produce and commission men vie with each other to secure our goods. Witness, an extract 
from a letter just received from Waterman & Co., New York City: 

"We have received the various shipments which you have made to us, and we congratulate you 
u|)on the very fine results you are getting. The goods are certainly the finest to be seen in this market, 
antl we only wi.sh we could procure this kind of produce for our entire business." 

.\ small canner will be in operation at No. 2 next year to put into another form any surplus the farm 
may yiehl. Our tomatoes are all carefully sorted and packed in four-quart baskets, six baskets to the 
crate. No mi.sshaj)en or dead ripe fruit is allowed to go into these packages; the consequence is there 
remains a large quantity of perfectly good food which must go to waste unless canne<l or made into 
catsup. Corn, beans, i)eas, beets, etc., can be saved in the same way. 

Often a large picking of berries is necessary (in order to keep the vines producing) on Saturday. 
It is not wise to ship this fruit on Monday, but it's especially good to go into preserves, jams and jellies. 

I cannot close without a further allusion to the "Agronomist." At this writing it reaches 
a circulation of 7,500 and is gratis to anvonc desiring it, who writes to the office at Medford, Long 
Island. N. Y. 

May we be pardoned for quoting from a letter received lately from the editor of the "Railroad 
.\ge Ciazelte." We are prom I of our leaflet as anyone .should be proud of success. 

" I think the 'Agronomist' is the ijrightest publication that comes to this office. I find it regularly 
on my de.sk and it mesmerizes me. I can't indulge in the luxury of any other business in comfort until 
I have read it through. It ought to he an effective agent in promoting your pioneering .scheme." 

Space is culling me short, and "the half is not yet told." Each year of each farm constitutes a 
volume in it-self. I trust you have gained some idea of the development of the work, that you realize 
the soil, by constantly returning humus alone to it, is growing richer and more productive each year, 
that the farms are adding new vegetables and fruits as profibible crops to our Island neighbors (and in 
fact to all the world) by our numerous experiments, that the farms stand in fact for "Peace, Plenty" 
and "Prosperity." 



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111. ■llir.J 11.111, ■■ aL .\l 



\i)\. Ill, Number 7 



:^ L.I.R.H. . i^AT/o*,' 

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October 20, 1909 



Lor\g IslaPvd Agror\onr\ist 

A Fortnightly Record of Facts 

Together With Deductions Based Upon Natures Practical Demonstrations 

Compiled by Hal B. and Edith Loring' Fullerton 
Publication office, Hunting'ton, Long' Island, New York 

"I do the very best I know how — the very best I can; and I mean to keep doing so until the end." 

— Abraham Lincoln. 

Current Gleanings 

When our food furni.shers, one by one, show that they have finished the work set 
apart by Nature for each of them to do, when the flowers and trees show plainly that 
having matured their seeds and made certain the continuance of their species they 
are preparing for the rest they have earned, we two partners invariably size up our 
work to see if we have done our level best to accomplish our share of that portion of 
Life's Lot that has been placed in our care. 

This train of thought gives rise to multitudes of thoughts, to plans for bigger 
achievements when plant growth starts anew, this, coupled as it is with crop time, 
makes the doleful drawl of dyspeptics and pessimists seem silly. 

Full well we know that like ourselves the "modern methods" soil tillers of Long 
Island are chanting something like this: 

The merry, merry days are here. 

Most joyous of the year. 
For the bins are full of fodder. 

And the farm is mortgage clear. 

A little later will come the never failing chorus from Long Island savings banks, 
setting forth the big annual increase in soil tillers' deposits. 

This year they will soar higher than ever, for the Long Island Railroad's 1909 
tonnage for September shows 22,873 tons of potatoes, cauliflower and cucumbers by 
freight alone, against 10,824 tons handled in September, 1905; and train loads of 
potatoes and cauliflower are still awaiting gathering; further, express shipments are 
not included in above figures. A great portion of this increase is known to be directly 
due to the practical demonstrations of the Railroad's Experimental Stations of spray 
value, deeper plowing, thorough cultivation, the substitution of barn-yard manure, 
legumes and cover crops for chemical fertilizers, which once threatened to lure our 
Island neighbors into that "Fool's Paradise" which invariably results in "Abandoned 
Farms." This shows also that Long Island is coming into her own with startling 
rapidity. Foreigners brought here by the successful showing of the Experimental 
Stations, are by their own success, attracting their relatives and neighbors to a newly 
discovered golconda where nature has brought together all the factors most favorable 
to an immense range of plant growth that it might feed the many millions populating 
New York City, destined to be the largest in the world. 

The Lonf; Ishind Agronomist will l)e sent on request to anyone, anywhere, witlioiit fear, favor or finance 



FEB \J 1912 



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L.I.R.R. 



STATIONS 



L0NGI5LAND,N.Y. 




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